FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Hezbollah

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Hezbollah involvement in Syria.

Alistair Burt: We judge that thousands of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon are supporting the Assad regime's brutal and violent repression of the Syrian people as demonstrated in Qusayr and Homs. Any Hezbollah involvement in Syria is simply prolonging the Assad regime's brutal and violent repression of the Syrian people. The UK unequivocally condemns these actions. The consequences of overspill of the Syria crisis to neighbouring countries like Lebanon has a seriously destabilising effect on the region as a whole. This is entirely contrary to the interests of Lebanon. It is vital that further contagion is avoided at all costs and a speedy resolution to the conflict is achieved as soon as possible.

Hezbollah

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent reports that the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has stated that Hezbollah fighters are active in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The Hezbollah leadership openly acknowledge their involvement inside Syria. The UK unequivocally condemns these actions. The consequences of overspill of the Syria crisis to neighbouring countries like Lebanon has a seriously destabilising effect on the region as a whole. This is entirely contrary to the interests of Lebanon. It is vital that further contagion is avoided at all cost and a speedy resolution to the conflict is achieved as soon as possible.

Shaker Aamer

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, column 631W, on Shaker Aamer, what steps he is taking to ensure Shaker Aamer is released into UK jurisdiction as a matter of urgency and not forcibly sent to any other country upon release; what representations he has made to the new State Department envoy Clifford Sloan on this matter; what steps he has taken to follow up the Prime Minister's raising of the case with President Obama at the G8 summit; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Mr Aamer's case remains a high priority for the UK Government and Ministers and senior officials maintain an active dialogue with the US on this issue. Following the G8, the Prime Minister wrote to President Obama regarding Mr Aamer's case. The UK Government is committed to engaging with the Special Envoys for Guantanamo Bay, in the US Departments of State and Defense, as soon as possible. Any decision regarding Mr Aamer's release remains in the hands of the US Government.

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer from the Deputy Prime Minister to the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 634, on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, what consequences the Government is considering against Sri Lanka; and under what circumstances such consequences would be invoked.

Alistair Burt: The British Government continues to raise concerns about lack of progress on post-conflict reconciliation, accountability, and the current human rights situation with the Government of Sri Lanka. We have been clear that we expect progress in both these areas and also access by media and civil society to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), as well as free, fair and peaceful Northern Provincial Council elections in September.
	In attending CHOGM, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will see the situation on the ground, speak with the Government of Sri Lanka, and draw international attention to either progress made or the lack of it.
	We co-sponsored the Human Rights Council Resolution on Sri Lanka which passed with increased support in March 2013. The council will return to the issue of Sri Lanka in September and next March. If that is against the backdrop of insufficient progress on Sri Lanka's own commitments, or deterioration in the human rights situation, we will look for a strong and unified response.

Uganda

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to civil society groups, churches and media organisations (a) in Uganda and (b) internationally in relation to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before the Ugandan Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Our high commission in Kampala has discussed our concerns about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with a wide range of interlocutors, including from religious groups and the media, and works closely with Ugandan civil society groups campaigning for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights, including support for training, advocacy, and legal cases. President Museveni and I discussed the issue with civil society representatives during a visit to Uganda on 9 April. Officials have also consulted closely with UK based international non-governmental organisations on our approach.

Uganda

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Government of Uganda in relation to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before the Ugandan Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The Government is committed to ensuring that Lesbian. Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people around the world are free to live their lives in a safe and just environment. We have raised our concerns about the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill with the Ugandan Government at the highest levels. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised this issue with the Foreign Minister of Uganda in May.

USA

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the existence of fraudulent websites selling fake electronic systems for travel authorization certificates to people planning to travel to the US; and what steps his Department plans to take against such sites.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the existence of websites not endorsed by the US Government offering to help facilitate the application of the Electronic System for Travel Authorisations (ESTAs) for the US. We have advised those seeking travel to the US to be wary of such websites on the UK Government's US travel advice pages. We also provide travellers with the link to the genuine website for ESTA applications.

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides consular services to all British nationals when they are abroad, regardless of where they reside. This is explained in the FCO's publication, Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide, on
	www.gov.uk

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what estimate he has made of the total number of potential overseas nationals who are entitled to register for an overseas vote; and how many such people were registered to vote in the (a) 2005 and (b) 2010 General Elections.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has made no estimate of the total number of overseas nationals who are eligible to register to vote in elections in the United Kingdom. The dispersed nature of, and lack of data on, this potential electorate makes it very difficult to conduct surveys on this issue.
	There have, however, been two relatively recent estimates of the total number of UK citizens living abroad that the Commission refers to when planning its work on overseas voters. One by the Institute for Public Policy Research, in 2006, put the number at 5.5 million and one by the World Bank, in 2010, estimated it to be 4.7 million
	(1)
	. Neither estimate takes eligibility, based on either age or the 15-year rule, into account.
	Figures on the number of registered overseas electors are available only for December each year, when the new registers are published. The number of overseas voters before and after the last two general elections was:
	December 2004: 9,672
	December 2005: 18,947
	December 2009: 14,901
	December 2010: 32,739
	(1 )The World Bank, Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011.
	http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLAC/Resources/Factbook2011-Ebook.pdf

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, 
	(1)  what target the Electoral Commission has to increase the number of overseas voters (a) registered and (b) voting in the next general election;
	(2)  what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to increase awareness of overseas electors of their entitlement to vote before the next election; and how such steps will differ from previous elections.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not set specific targets regarding the number of voters overseas that are either registered or use their vote. The Commission will, however, deliver a public awareness campaign to encourage British citizens living overseas to register to vote ahead of the European parliamentary elections in 2014 and the UK parliamentary election in 2015. The Commission's campaigns will be informed by evidence obtained from its most recent overseas voter campaign, which took place during the 2011 UK wide referendum on the parliamentary voting system, and the latest insights into communication techniques since then, particularly new ways to reach people online.
	The Commission's campaigns are expected to focus on the 10 countries with the largest expatriate populations (determined by the latest ONS data) and will include activity on specific websites accessed by overseas, such as BBC.com and editorial coverage in newspapers and on radio stations with a large expatriate audience.
	In addition, the Commission is working with overseas representatives from each of the political parties to identify practical ways to reach overseas electors. It has also commenced discussions with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure they provide the support of consulates and embassies, particularly in regions with large expatriate communities.

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recommendations the Electoral Commission has made to the Government to make it easier for overseas voters to register.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has recommended that the Government takes appropriate steps to ensure that eligible British citizens living overseas are able to register online from the point at which the individual electoral registration digital service goes live, which is currently planned for summer 2014.
	The Commission has also recommended that all electoral registration officers in Great Britain should be required to offer this method of registration, and that the service should not be provided at their discretion. The Commission will issue guidance to support electoral registration officers and their staff in implementing any changes.

Electoral Systems

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recommendations the Electoral Commission has carried out into different overseas voting systems around the world; and what conclusions have been drawn that would be applicable to the UK.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has informed me that it has not carried out detailed work in this area nor made any specific recommendations for change. The Commission has, however, recommended changes to the current rules that will help overseas voters, including extending the timetable for elections in order to allow overseas voters more time to vote by post. This change is expected to come into effect for elections from 2014 onwards.
	The Commission is aware that some other countries offer different solutions to help overseas electors participate in elections and believes a choice of voting methods is important. Any proposals to change the voting methods available to overseas electors would need to be carefully assessed before they are introduced, including to make sure that they are secure and cost effective. This assessment would include any relevant evidence available from other comparable democracies.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many overseas nationals are entitled to register to vote according to their current country of residence.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has informed me that it does not hold information on the number of overseas nationals entitled to register to vote according to their current country of residence.
	The total number of UK citizens registered as overseas voters at 1 December 2012 was 19,245.

WALES

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which projects administered by the National Assembly for Wales are UK overseas development assistance (ODA) attributable; what the total value of the Assembly's contribution to UK ODA was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and what the value of that contribution will be in 2013.

David Jones: The total value of the Welsh Government contribution to UK ODA was:
	(a) 2010: £1,040,387
	(b) 2011: £1,032,284
	(c) 2012: £966,000 (provisional figure).
	Details of the specific projects administered by the Welsh Assembly that are overseas development assistance (ODA) attributable are available from the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government Budget for 2013-14 identifies a planned spend of £845,000 on international development.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Duwayne Brooks

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether any lawyers who worked on the 1993 prosecution of Duwayne Brooks are still employed by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dominic Grieve: It has been established that some copy papers from the destroyed Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) file relating to this case were retained by the Home Office as part of the MacPherson inquiry. A copy of the papers was given to the CPS on 15 July and this indicates that two of the lawyers who worked on this prosecution of Duwayne Brooks are still employed by the CPS.

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers’ Departments have spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Expenditure with Grant Thornton by the Law Officers’ Departments 
			 £ 
			  TSol CPS SFO 
			 2008-09 38,937 20,816 976,916 
			 2009-10 — 6,612 680,130 
			 2010-11 — 76,003 187,498 
			 2011-12 — 168,504 4,500 
			 2012-13 34,535 232,188 3,326 
		
	
	The Attorney-General’s office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have not incurred any expenditure with Grant Thornton during the specified period of time.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he took to avoid the £15,000 unauthorised ex-gratia payment to the Serious Fraud Office’s former chief operating officer being paid out of the public purse.

Dominic Grieve: As set out in my written ministerial statement of 4 December 2012, Official Report, columns 51-52WS, and explained by David Green CB QC in his evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on 7 March 2013, the director of the Serious Fraud Office sought legal advice on the enforceability of the contracts entered into by the previous director. That advice said that the agreements the SFO had entered into were enforceable by law.
	However, as recommended by the Public Accounts Committee, the director of the SFO has written to the recipients of the unauthorised ex-gratia payments to request they repay the money.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether there have been any recent instances of evidence for current or past Serious Fraud Office investigations being (a) lost or (b) returned to the wrong people.

Dominic Grieve: The Serious Fraud Office is currently investigating one incident of data loss relating to a closed case. I will write to the hon. Member once this investigation is complete.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010.

Mark Hoban: Since 2010 the following number of apprenticeship places have been offered in DWP:
	
		
			  Placements 
			 2010 75 
			 2011 108 
			 2012 237 
			 2013 237 
		
	
	All apprentices are aged between 18 and 24 but, as there is no requirement to capture information in the required format, we are not able to provide a further breakdown on age ranges without incurring disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people claiming child benefit for children living outside the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	European economic area nationals with a right to reside in the UK are entitled under European law to claim child benefit in respect of their dependent children resident outside the UK.
	These rules also apply to UK nationals living elsewhere in the EEA claiming that country's equivalent of child benefit for their children resident in the UK.
	The Government is reviewing the rules for this issue in line with making sure that the UK has a fair and proportional welfare system.

Employment and Support Allowance

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the outcome of the investigation undertaken by his Department into the telephone security questions asked of applicants for employment and support allowance was;
	(2)  when he will publish the outcome of his Department's review of the telephone security questions asked of applicants for employment and support allowance;
	(3)  when his Department's investigation into the effectiveness of security questions asked on the telephone of applicants for employment and support allowance (a) started and (b) concluded.

Mark Hoban: The review commenced in June 2012 and was concluded June 2013. The review concluded that the security system used by the Department for Work and Pensions did not deliver the anticipated cost savings. As a result of this, and in addition to user feedback, the decision was made to remove it and revert to the previous system, where contact centre agents perform security checks manually. Managers will regularly quality check a sample of calls to ensure that security procedures are followed correctly.
	As the review of the telephone security questions was internal, the Department for Work and Pensions will not be publishing a report.

Flexible Support Fund

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria was used to allocate money to local authorities under the Support Fund.

Steve Webb: The money was allocated based on the percentage of spend of the discretionary Social Fund budget in a local authority area between April 2011 and September 2011. That was the most up-to-date information the Government had on Social Fund spend by local authority area at the time of allocation.

Housing Benefit: Gwynedd

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the level of need for discretionary housing payment in Gwynedd as a result of the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: The allocation of funding for discretionary housing payments for all local authorities was agreed following consultation with local authority associations. The distribution formula is intended, as far as possible, to target resources according to need within each individual authority.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in private rented accommodation are in receipt of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The information requested for the number of housing benefit recipients who are living in private rented accommodation, can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the full cost to the Exchequer of reinstating the under-occupancy penalty in fiscal year 2015-16.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Table 2.2 of Budget 2013 shows that the removal of the spare room subsidy in housing benefit from working-age tenants in the social rented sector is expected to save £465 million in 2015-16.
	It is not the Government's policy to reinstate the spare room subsidy.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of a seven day wait before jobseekers can claim jobseeker's allowance on (a) poverty levels, (b) child poverty levels, (c) food poverty levels and (d) temporary poverty levels in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: No such assessments have been made. The increase of waiting days to seven will have a single effect at the start of a person's entitlement when final wages will often be available.

Pensions: Fraud

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-UK-based companies are currently being investigated by the Pensions Regulator for the misappropriation of UK pension funds; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The existence of the anti-avoidance powers acts as a strong deterrent and enables the Pensions Regulator to ensure the best outcome for schemes and members without invoking those powers. Consequently, it has not found it necessary to use its powers on a widespread basis.
	Decisions on whether to use its anti-avoidance powers are made by the Regulator's Determinations Panel, which although legally part of the Regulator, is not involved in the investigation of cases. Once a determination has been made the outcome is then made public.

Personal Independence Payment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) multiple sclerosis nurse specialists and (b) other nurse specialists will (i) complete factual report forms in relation to personal independence payments and (ii) be paid to do so; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The health professionals conducting personal independence payment assessments will consider each case individually and decide whether further evidence would help inform their advice to DWP. Where they decide to gather further evidence, they will issue a factual report form to the relevant professional.
	We recognise that disabled people are experts in their own lives and information provided by them will play an important part of the process. The individual is asked which professionals are best placed to provide supporting evidence on their claim. We expect evidence to come from a variety of sources, including GPs, hospital consultants, social workers and, where relevant, specialist nurses. If it is appropriate to do so, health professionals may request evidence from a multiple sclerosis nurse specialist.
	The Department pays GPs for completed factual report forms. Other professionals do not receive a fee.

Redundancy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many employees of the Health and Safety Executive resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse of such schemes has been;
	(2)  how many employees of the Health and Safety Executive resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and how much this has cost his Department.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive has not made any of its employees resident in Scotland redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and therefore there is a nil cost.

Social Security Benefits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of single earner families with net annual earnings of £26,000 who are also in receipt of (a) child benefit, (b) tax credits and (c) housing benefit; what account he has taken of the receipt of state benefits by single earner families with such annual earnings in the (i) formulation and (ii) communication of the Government's benefits cap policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: These estimates are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Working households are outside of the scope of the benefit cap. Median earnings are used as the basis of the level of the benefit cap. In work benefits are not therefore included in an income calculation to set this level.
	The benefit cap will ensure that no family on benefits will receive more than a working family's average salary. It is primarily intended to act as a work incentive. That is why all households which include a member who is entitled to working tax credit are exempt from the benefit cap, as announced in the 2010 spending review.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households affected by the benefit cap in the pilot areas have moved out of London since the cap was introduced.

Mark Hoban: This information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households have had their weekly income (a) reduced and (b) reduced by over £100 in (i) Croydon, (ii) Bromley, (iii) Enfield and (iv) Haringey as a result of the introduction of the benefit cap in those areas on 15 April 2013.

Mark Hoban: The benefit cap commenced phased implementation in the four named boroughs on 15 April 2013. The Department has since published ad hoc statistics that provide this breakdown to the end of May; these can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210056/Benefit_cap_FINAL.pdf

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Mark Hoban: In line with its Welsh language scheme the Department ensures that all services provided for the public in Wales are available in Welsh, and that customers are aware of this fact.
	The Department has ensured that processes are in place across the various business arms to enable customers to deal with us in their preferred language, verbally or in writing, throughout their dealings with us. This applies for written, telephone, face to face and digital contact.

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has a current Welsh Language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions has a Welsh language scheme which was approved by the former Welsh Language Board on 25 March 2010. Previously there were specific schemes in existence for the Employment Service, Benefits Agency, Pension Service and other constituent parts of the business.
	The Department has a dedicated Welsh Language Unit to oversee the requirements of the scheme. The scheme is kept under constant review and the Department has reported annually each June to the Welsh Language Commissioner on progress against its objectives when delivering services in Wales.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which people finding jobs through the Work Programme are doing so in (a) small firms and (b) large firms; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the sectors which have proved most likely to employ jobseekers participating in the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Information on job starts from the Work Programme is not available.
	The Department does not hold information on the size of firm or the sector that have employed jobseekers who participated in the Work Programme.

Work Programme: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Ashfield constituency have found employment lasting more than six months through the Work programme since its inception; how many such people were aged under 24 years old; and how many such people had a disability.

Mark Hoban: The available information is given in the following tables:
	
		
			 Number(1) of Work programme job outcomes(2) for payment groups(3) 1, 2 and 9 by area(4), age(5) and employment duration(6); as at 31 March 2013 
			   Employment duration(6) 
			 Area(4) Age(5) Total 26 weeks up to 50 weeks 50 weeks or over 
			 Ashfield parliamentary constituency Total 120 80 40 
			  Other 60 40 20 
			  18-24 60 40 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Number(1) of Work programme job outcomes(2) for payment groups(3) 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 by area(4), age(5) and employment duration(6); as at 31 March 2013 
			   Employment duration(6) 
			 Area(4) Age(5) Total 13 weeks up to 25 weeks 25 weeks up to 49 weeks 49 weeks or over 
			 Ashfield parliamentary constituency Total 120 50 40 30 
			  Other 60 20 20 10 
		
	
	
		
			  18-24 60 30 20 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Number(1) of Work programme job outcomes(2) for payment groups(3) 1, 2 and 9 by area(4), disability indicator(7) and employment duration(6); as at 31 March 2013 
			   Employment duration(6) 
			 Area(4) Disability indicator(7) Total 26 weeks up to 50 weeks 50 weeks or over 
			 Ashfield parliamentary constituency Total 120 80 40 
			  No/unknown 90 60 30 
			  Yes 20 10 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Number(1 )of Work programme job outcomes(2) for payment groups(3) 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 by area(4), disability indicator(7) and employment duration(6); as at 31 March 2013 
			   Employment duration(6) 
			 Area(4) Disability indicator(7) Total 13 weeks up to 25 weeks 25 weeks up to 49 weeks 49 weeks or over 
			 Ashfield parliamentary constituency Total 120 50 40 30 
			  No/unknown 80 30 30 20 
			  Yes 30 10 10 — 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative and are rounded to the nearest 10. "—"denotes nil or negligible. 2. Job outcomes: The Work programme IT payment system update went live in April 2012. All outcomes prior to this were recorded clerically and uploaded to the system during April and May 2012. The outcome date for these is based on the date the information was uploaded to the system. For job outcomes recorded after this, outcome dates are based on the date that payments were made to providers following pre-payment validation processes to confirm job outcomes. The manual pre-payment validation checks may take time to conduct resulting in a delay between the job outcome being claimed and the date the payment is made to providers, and hence recorded in the statistics. Validation procedures continue to improve to streamline the process as issues are identified. For further details around issues and delays to job outcome payments please see the information note available on the WP landing page https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/work-programme-statistics--2 3. Payment group: Payment groups are assigned by Jobcentre Plus, on the basis of a claimant's circumstances, and benefit they receive. A small number of claimants appear in an incorrect group caused by the way information is recorded on the administrative system. Payment group 9 is the JSA ex-offender day 1 mandation group and a job outcome payment can be claimed at 26 weeks. Details of the payment groups 1 -8 can be found at annex 1 of the following document: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-9.pdf 4. Parliamentary constituency: Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html 5. Age: Age is fixed at the time of referral. We have provided data for those aged 18 to 24 as this is a standard age grouping. 6. Employment duration: Employment duration is defined as the number of weeks required to claim a Job outcome plus the number of weeks for which sustainment payments have been made. For example a job outcome paid for a customer in payment group 1 with one additional sustainment payment will have been in employment for 30 weeks up to 34 weeks. 7. Disability indicator: Disability is self-assessed as having a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. 8. Job outcome payments: A job outcome payment can be claimed when: There has been a either continuous or cumulative period of employment (job outcome payment trigger point) of 13 weeks for payment groups 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and 26 weeks for payment groups 1, 2 and 9; A participant has been in employment and off benefit in each week of the period (a week is defined as a seven day period); and The job outcome is after the job start date, ie a job outcome payment can only be claimed when a participant starts a job after attachment activity has been recorded on DWP prescribed IT or clerical system. 9. Sustainment payments: Providers can only claim a sustainment payment where: A job outcome has been reported; Four continuous weeks in employment have elapsed between the job outcome payment date and the sustainment payment date, or between the previous sustainment payment date and the current sustainment payment date. A participant has been in employment and off benefit each week (a week is defined as a seven day period) in the four week period; and 15 working days have passed since the last date of the period being claimed. Following a break in employment after the 104 weeks allotted time providers will no longer be eligible to receive a sustainment payment (a break is defined as when a participant leaves employment for two days or more, even if they remain off benefit). Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS)

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010.

Gregory Barker: DECC has had the following number of apprenticeships since 2010 to date:
	(a)—five
	(b)—less than five
	(c)—less than five.

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Gregory Barker: DECC is committed to the Government's Social Mobility Strategy and we aim to offer up to 50% of our administrative officer level vacancies to apprenticeships annually. The Department was actively involved in National Apprenticeship Week 2013. DECC's apprentices worked closely with our partner developing case studies and taking part in the events. We have also engaged with Civil Service Learning on the Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme with a view to participation after the pilot.

Arctic

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of (a) the area of Arctic sea ice that will remain during September 2015 and (b) the plausible date range for the earliest ice free summer in the Arctic; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of scenarios and probabilities on (a) further Arctic warming, (b) sea ice melt, (c) increasing climate extremes and reduced crop production, (d) Arctic methane emissions and (e) global sea level rise until 2100; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of (a) the amount of solar energy that was absorbed in the Arctic ocean during 2012 and (b) the minimum cooling required to halt this level of retreat of sea ice; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council about the CryoSat-2 satellite measurements of Arctic sea ice (a) extend and (b) volume; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The complexity and variability of the Arctic environment means that it is not possible to make predictions for a specific year several years in advance. Therefore DECC has not made an assessment of the likely area of Arctic sea ice for September 2015. However, we expect that in the long term the annual minimum extent of Arctic sea ice will continue to decline as a result of man-made global warming.
	Results from most recent climate models suggest that the Arctic could be virtually ice-free for a short time in late summer as early as sometime between 2025 and 2030.
	Although no recent assessment has been made of the amount of solar energy absorbed by the Arctic ocean during 2012, work is currently in progress using climate models and the most up-to-date observations to assess the energy budget of the Arctic, which will include the solar energy absorbed by the Arctic ocean.
	Halting the current long-term decline in summer Arctic sea ice would require stopping the current rise in global temperatures caused by rising greenhouse gas concentrations. However, due to the thermal inertia of the oceans, Arctic sea ice would likely still decline for several years even if concentrations were stabilised.
	Temperatures in the Arctic have risen more than twice as quickly as the rest of the world over the past 40 years and climate models suggest that the Arctic will continue to warm faster than the global average, at rates ranging from 0.9 to 1.5°C per decade over the rest of this century. Rising temperatures are likely to increase the risk of methane release from hydrates in the Arctic ocean and shelf seas and also from thawing permafrost, which would amplify global warming. There are, however, major scientific uncertainties over the potential size and risk of such methane release and DECC is working with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to improve our understanding of the potential for methane release in the Arctic.
	Extreme weather events form part of natural weather variability and some, such as maximum temperatures, are likely to become more frequent, widespread and/or intense as part of a changing climate(1). Research techniques now allow us to quantify how much more likely some such events have become as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. A combination of changing average temperature, water availability and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is already affecting crop yields(1). It is also clear that changes in extreme weather events can have serious impacts on crops, for example, through direct impacts from flooding, drought and heatwaves.
	The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (2007) estimated a global average sea-level rise of between 0.18 and 0.59 million for the period 1980-99 to 2090-99. However, these figures do not include all the possible contributions from ice sheets.
	The Science Volume of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, which will include the IPCC's latest climate and sea level projections, is due to be published in September 2013 and will provide a comprehensive assessment of these aspects of the climate system.
	The Department has not had any recent discussions with the NERC about the CryoSat-2 satellite measurements of Arctic sea ice. Recently published findings(2) from these measurements are making an important contribution to the assessment of the ongoing decline in both the extent and volume of Arctic sea-ice.
	Recent changes in the Arctic are another clear sign of man-made climate change and reinforce the need for a global comprehensive international agreement in 2015 to deal with the global rise in greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous climate change. We are pressing hard for that to happen, and we are taking action domestically to reduce our emissions and so play our part in the global effort.
	(1) IPCC. (2012). Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva.
	(2) Laxon et al, 2013. CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume. Geophysical Research Letters DOI; 10.1002/grl.50193.

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the minimum volume is of Energy Companies Obligation that Green Deal providers are obliged to deliver in respect of individual contracts secured through the eco-brokerage.

Gregory Barker: As described in the guidance for brokerage participants, Green Deal providers who have sold a lot on brokerage can deliver between 90% and 110% of the carbon/bill savings in the contract (within the agreed three, six or 12 months) in order to receive payment:
	https://www.gov.uk/energy-companies-obligation-brokerage# how-it-works

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2013, Official Report, column 67W, on energy companies obligation, for what reasons he does not intend to carry out a revised full impact assessment for the Energy Company Obligation.

Gregory Barker: The Department has no plans to revise June 2012's full impact assessment for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) for two reasons: firstly, producing an impact assessment is a lengthy and intensive process that requires robust analysis of updated evidence, which the Department cannot undertake frequently; and secondly, the Department will be publishing a consultation impact assessment for the next phase of ECO in due course, which will supersede the previous impact assessment's projections.

Fuel Poverty

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people living in private rented accomodation are living in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is measured at the household level, rather than in terms of numbers of individuals.
	Under the 10% measure of fuel poverty in 2011, the most recent year that data are available for, there were 632,000 households in private rented accommodation that were in fuel poverty. This represented 17% of all households in this group.
	On 9 July, DECC announced that they would be adopting a new indicator to measure fuel poverty, based on the recommendations from Professor Hills' independent review. Statistics on fuel poverty under this measure will be published at 9.30 am on 8 August. This will include the number of households in private rented accommodation in fuel poverty.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of how much the credit checking process for Green Deal customers adds to the cost of delivering Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: DECC has not estimated the cost of completing credit checks for Green Deal customers as this is a commercial consideration for Green Deal providers who are offering finance. Lenders, including Green Deal providers, must lend responsibly and are required by law to check people will be able to make the repayments. It is for them to decide how best to meet this requirement and how any costs are managed.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what testing Green Deal systems were subject to before that scheme was launched in January 2013.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal systems that went live in January went through a series of end to end tests which involved both contractors responsible for providing Green Deal services and participants including energy companies and Green Deal providers.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much of the £200 million of incentive money for the Green Deal has been used to carry out free Green Deal Assessments to date.

Gregory Barker: The total expenditure from the £200 million Green Deal incentives spent on Green Deal assessments is £184,102.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to announce the detail on the community benefit package for the new Hinkley Point C nulear power station.

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement on this subject which I made to the House on 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 105-106WS.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with Électricité de France in (i) the UK and (ii) France to discuss the strike price for nuclear power at Hinkley Point C in 2013 to date; and whether any of those meetings have involved (A) Treasury Ministers and (B) officials; what period will be allowed for Parliamentary scrutiny of the agreement once it has been completed; and whether such scrutiny will include provision to propose amendments to the agreement.

Michael Fallon: Negotiations over the Investment Contract have entailed numerous meetings with Électricité de France (EdF) and its joint venture NNB over terms, including price, some of which have involved Commercial Secretary to HM Treasury the noble Lord Deighton.
	This is a commercial transaction between the Government and EdF. If a deal is to be reached, we have always been clear it must represent a fair deal that is affordable and provides clear value for money. Any contract that is agreed will be laid before Parliament and published in line with the requirements of the Energy Bill alongside summaries of reports from external expert advisors and our value for money appraisal.

Insulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria were used to determine that hard to treat cavity wall insulation and solid wall insulation would not be identified as separate measures in eco-brokerage contracts and auctions.

Gregory Barker: Brokerage was introduced to increase transparency and liquidity of the ECO market by allowing a range of Green Deal providers, including new SME entrants, to trade with energy companies, thus helping keep cost to bill payers down. In keeping with this aim for transparency, a criterion used when designing brokerage was that it should allow for the trading of those commodities which are relevant to the legal targets set on the obligated energy companies. In the case of the carbon saving element of ECO, that obligation is expressed in carbon tonnes. Hard to treat cavity wall insulation and solid wall insulation are not identified as separate sub-targets. Aligning commodities with the relevant obligation also gives GDPs flexibility in preparing packages of future measures for auction.

Nuclear Industry Council

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what matters were discussed and what decisions taken at the Nuclear Industry Council meeting on 10 July 2013; when full minutes of the meeting will be published on his Department's website; what invitations have been offered to interested stakeholders to attend meetings of the Council as observers; and how long he and other Ministers of his Department were in attendance at the meeting.

Michael Fallon: I can confirm that the minutes of the second UK Nuclear Industry Council (NIC) are currently being written and will shortly be published in full on:
	www.gov.uk
	The matters discussed were Skills, Trade and Investment, Business Capability, Cost Reduction and Public Understanding of Nuclear Energy. The decision was taken that workstreams for each of the areas above will be established.
	Invitations to join as observers were issued at the time of the establishment of the NIC to the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and the Welsh Government. At the second meeting the UK Nuclear Research Councils were also represented as observers.
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and I are co-chairs of the NIC alongside Lord Hurton (Chair of the Nuclear Industry Association). Unfortunately, due to a prior engagement I was only able to attend the second half of the meeting. The Secretary of State was in attendance for the duration of the meeting.

Official Cars

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which officials in his Department are entitled to use a car from the Government car pool.

Gregory Barker: When the allocated car provided by the Government Car Service is not used by Ministers it can be used for the transport of other officials.

Official Cars

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of his Department were entitled to use the Government car pool in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Gregory Barker: When the allocated car provided by the Government Car service is not used by Ministers it can be used for the transport of other officials.

Official Cars

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of his Department used Government cars in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Gregory Barker: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the title is of each regulation his Department (a) introduced and (b) revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The titles of regulations introduced by the Department in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 are listed in the following table. The final column indicates whether or not the regulations in question have been revoked. Information on the years in which these revocations were made and on regulations introduced before 2010 which have been revoked could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Statutory instrument title SI No. Coming into force date Revoked? 
			 Entered force in 2010    
			 The Carbon Accounting (Amendment) Regulations 2009 2009/3146 1 January 2010 — 
			 The Petroleum Licensing (Amendment) Regulations 2009 2009/3283 20 January 2010 — 
			 The Overhead Lines (Exempt Installations) (Consequential Provisions) Order 2010 2010/29 1 March 2010 — 
			 The Overhead Lines (Exempt Installations) Order 2010 2010/277 1 March 2010 — 
			 The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Order 2010 2010/768 22 March 2010 Yes 
			 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Keadby) (England and Wales) Order 2010 2010/411 31 March 2010 — 
			 The Electricity (Exemptions from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Millennium and Kilbraur) (Scotland) Order 2009 2010/413 31 March10 — 
			 The Feed in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) Order 2010 2010/678 1 April 2010 Yes 
			 The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2010 2010/1107 1 April 2010 — 
			 The Energy Act 2008 (Consequential Modifications) (Offshore Environmental Protection) Order 2010 2010/1513 1 July 2010 — 
			 The Energy Act 2004 (Commencement No. 10) Order 2010 2010/1889 29 July 2010 — 
			 The Energy Act 2008 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2010 2010/1888 29 July 2010 — 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) (Amendment) Order 2010 2010/1958 30 July 2010 — 
			 The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010 2010/1908 18 August 2010 — 
			 The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (England & Wales) Regulations 2010 2010/1910 18 August 2010 — 
			 The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2010 2010/1996 31 August 2010 Yes 
		
	
	
		
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) Regulations 2010 2010/2221 1 October 2010 — 
			 The Justification Decision (Generation of Electricity by the EPR Nuclear Reactor) Regulations 2010 2010/2844 30 November 2010 — 
			 The Justification Decision (Generation of Electricity by the AP1000 Nuclear Reactor) Regulations 2010 2010/2845 30 November 2010 — 
			 The Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Handling (Designated Technical Matters) Order 2010 2010/2850 30 November 2010 — 
			 The Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2715 5 December 2010 — 
			     
			 Entered force in 2011    
			 The Submarine Pipelines (Designated Owners) Order 2010/3048 5 January 2011 — 
			 The Lynn and Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farms (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/84 24 January 2011 — 
			 The Gas (Exemptions) Order 2011 2011/232 1 March 2011 — 
			 The Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources Regulations 2011 2011/243 14 March 2011 — 
			 The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/765 25 March 2011 Yes 
			 Offshore Chemicals (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/982 30 March 2011 — 
			 Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/983 30 March 2011 — 
			 The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/234 1 April 2011 Yes 
			 The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/984 1 April 2011 — 
			 Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011 2011/1033 1 April 2011 — 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Fees) and National Emissions Inventory Regulations 2011 2011/727 6 April 2011 — 
			 The Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Handling (Finance and Fees) Regulations 011 2011/134 6 April 2011 Yes 
			 The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (England)(Amendment) Regs 2011 2011/833 13 April 2011 — 
			 Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/1181 30 May 2011 Yes 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Nitrous Oxide) Regulations 2011 2011/1506 16 June 2011 — 
			 Warm Home Discount (Reconciliation) Regs 2011 2011/1414 1 July 2011 — 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Termination of Licences) Regulations 2011 2011/1483 11 July 2011 — 
			 The Disclosure of State Pension Credit Information (Warm Home Discount) Regs 2011 2011/1830 20 July 2011 — 
			 Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment No. 2) Order 2011 2011/1655 1 August 2011 Yes 
			 Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Amendment Regulations 2011 2011/2043 11 August 2011/1 October 2011 — 
			 The Renewable Heat Incentive (Amendment to the Energy Act 2008) Regulations 2011 2011/2195 6 September 2011 — 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2011 2011/2305 16 September 2011 — 
			 Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment No. 3) Order 2011 2011/2364 18 October 2011 Yes 
			 Electricity and Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2011 2011/2704 9 November 2011 — 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Amendment of the Energy Act 2008 etc.) Regulations 2011 2011/2453 16 November 2011 — 
			 The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2011 2011/2860 28 November 2011 — 
			 The Gas Transporter (Modification of Licence Conditions) Regulations 2011 2011/2803 16 December 2011 — 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions and Community Energy Saving) (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/3062 22 December 2011 — 
			     
			 Entered force in 2012    
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Registries and Fees etc.) Regulations 2011 2011/2911 1 January 2012 — 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Inspections etc.) Regulations 2012 2012/461 23 February 2012 — 
			 The Energy Act 2011 (Commencement No 1 and Saving) Order 2012 2012/873 20 March 2012 — 
			 The Offshore (Oil and Gas) Installation and Pipeline Abandonment Fees Regulations 2012 2012/949 20 April 2012 — 
			 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Supply Licence) (MVV Environment Devonport Limited) (England and Wales) Order 2012 2012/1646 26 June 2012 — 
			 Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2012 2012/1999 31 July 2012 — 
			 Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement and Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 2012/2079 Various made. 6 August 2012 — 
			 Green Deal (Energy Efficiency Improvements) Order 2012 2012/2106 7 August 2012 — 
			 Green Deal (Qualifying Energy Improvements) Order 2012 2012/2105 7 August 2012 — 
			 The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2012 2012/2140 12 September 2012 — 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Smart Meters Licensable Activity) Order 1012 2012/2400 19 September 2012 — 
			 The Climate Change Agreements (Administration) Regulations 2012 2012/1976 1 October 2012 — 
		
	
	
		
			 The Electricity and Gas (Competitive Tenders for Smart Meter Communication Licences) Regulations 2012 2012/2414 2012 October 2012 — 
			 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Curen) (England and Wales) Order 2012 2012/2740 31 October 2012 — 
			 The Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Covanta Ince Park) (England and Wales) Order 2012 2012/2911 1 November 2012 — 
			 The Feed in Tariffs )Order 2012 2012/2782 1 December 2012 — 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Charging Schemes) Regulations 2012 2012/2788 3 December 2012 — 
			 Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement and Redress etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 2012/3021 5 December 2012 — 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Energy Companies Obligation) Order 2012 2012/3018 5 December 2012 — 
			 The Oil Stocking Order 2012 2012/2862 31 December 2012 — 
			     
			 Entered force in 2013    
			 The Climate Change Agreements (Eligible Facilities) Regulations 2012 2012/2999 1 January 2013 — 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2012 2012/3038 1 January 2013 — 
			 The Energy Act 2011 (Commencement No 2) Order 2013 2013/125 24 January 2013 — 
			 The Energy Act 2011 (Amendment) (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 2012/3170 25 January 2013 — 
			 Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/10 27 January 2013 — 
			 Green Deal (Acknowledgement) Regulations 2012 2012/1661 28 January 2013 — 
			 Green Deal (Disclosure) Regulations 2012 2012/1660 28 January 2013 — 
			 The Consumer Credit (Green Deal) Regulations 2012 2012/2798 28 January 2013 — 
			 Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement and Redress etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/139 28 January 2013 — 
			 The Kentish Flats Extension Order 2013 2013/343 20 February 2013 — 
			 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Middlemoor) Order 2013/426 25 February 2013  
			 The Nuclear Industries Security (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/190 28 February 2013 — 
			 The Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Handling (Finance and Fees) Regulations 2013 2013/126 4 March 2013 — 
			 The Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm Order 2013 2013/586 13 March 2013 — 
			 —The Electricity (Applications for Consent) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2013 2013/495 6 April 2013 — 
			 The Pollution Prevention and Control (Designation of the Industrial Emissions Directive) (Offshore) Order 2013 2013/669 15 March 2013 — 
			 The Climate Change Agreements Administration (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 2013/508 31 March 13 — 
			 The Climate Change Agreements (Eligible Facilities) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 2013/505 31 March 13 — 
			 The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2013 2013/768 1 April 2013 — 
			 The Warm Home Discount (Reconciliation) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/519 6 April 2013 — 
			 The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/1033 30 April 2013 — 
			 The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Order 2013 2013/1119 2 May 2013  
			 —The Electricity (Extension of Transitional Period for Property Schemes) Order 20133 2013/968 19 May 2013 — 
			 The Offshore Combustion Installations (Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2013 2013/971 19 May 2013 — 
			 The Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Baillie) Order 2013 2013/1011 27 May 2013 — 
			 The Chemical Weapons (Licence Appeal Provisions) (Revocation) Order 2013 2013/1045 n/a — 
			 The Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Markinch) Order 2013 2013/1031 1 June2013 — 
			 The Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/829 1 June 2013 — 
			 Energy Supply Company Administration Rules 2013 2013/1046 7 June 2013 — 
			 Energy Supply Company Administration (Scotland) Rules 2013 2013/1047 7 June 2013 — 
			 The Chemical Weapons (Licence Appeal Provisions) (Revocation)(No. 2) Order 2013 2013/1129 12 June 2013 — 
			 The Galloper Wind farm Order 2013 2013/1203 15 June 2013 — 
			 The Gas and Petroleum (Consents) Charges Regulations 2013 2013/1138 17 June 2013 — 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2013 2013/1037 23 June 2013 — 
			 The Hydrocarbons (Temporary Management Scheme) Regulations 2013 2013/1329 30 June 2013 — 
			 The Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) order 2013 2013/1099 1 July 2013 — 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Market Integrity and Transparency) (Enforcement etc.) Regulations 2013 2013/1389 29 June 2013 — 
			 The Gas and Electricity (Registers) (Revocation) Order 2013 2013/1420 12 July 2013 — 
		
	
	
		
			 The Planning Act 2008 (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects) (Electric Lines) Order 2013 2013/1479 18 June 2013 — 
			 The Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Order 2013 2013/1734 12 July 2013 — 
			 The Gas Act 1986 (Exemption) (Onshore Gas) Order 2013 2013/1726 12 July 2013 —

Security

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many passes for his Department have been issued (a) to persons who are not officials of his Department and (b) to representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Gregory Barker: As at 16 July 2013, excluding visitor passes, 75 DECC issued departmental staff photo passes and 69 temporary passes were held by non-DECC officials. No DECC issued passes were held by representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has a current Welsh Language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change adopted its current Welsh Language Scheme in March 2012.
	The scheme has not yet been reviewed but we have committed to review it within four years of its coming into effect.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many answers by his Department to Parliamentary Questions involving tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were (a) printed in full and (b) provided via a link to a website in the last year;
	(2)  what guidance his Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to Parliamentary Questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a link to a website and (c) deposited in the Library.

Gregory Barker: The Department for Energy and Climate Change endeavours to answer all parliamentary questions in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance. The full guide is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
	A copy of the guidance relating to referring to websites has already been placed in the Library and the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons intends to review the Guide to Parliamentary Work later this year.
	The Department's parliamentary question database does not record when answers include tables of statistics, or how these tables, are provided. The information requested in (a) and (b) in both questions and in (c) is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

JUSTICE

Capita

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following amounts on contracts with Capita since the financial year 2008-09.
	There is a significant increase in expenditure in the financial year 2011-12 due to the transition by the MOJ onto the Government Procurement Service CIPHER Framework for specialist contractors and interim managers and the commencement of the MOJ contract under the Framework for Language Services.
	
		
			 Total departmental spend 
			 Financial year Net amount (£) 
			 2008-09 2,484,728.62 
			 2009-10 4,568,308.60 
			 2010-11 3,936,244.42 
			 2011-12 24,551,942.29 
			 2012-13 40,671,774.05

Clothing

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have made a claim for evening dress allowance in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of such claims has been.

Helen Grant: The following table provides a breakdown of the number of claims for evening dress allowance and the total cost of such claims for each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Hire and purchase of evening wear 
			 Period 1 April to 31 March each year Total number of claims Total costs (£) 
			 2012-13 33 2,734.25 
			 2011-12 24 2,072.94 
			 2010-11 55 3,224.52 
			 2009-10 58 3,874.02 
			 2008-09 42 2,883.63 
		
	
	No Ministers or senior MOJ officials have made these claims. These claims relate to a number of claims by prison officers for evening attire for a specific awards event, where the hire cost might otherwise affect their attendance.
	Information on the number of officials who have made a claim for evening dress allowance is not available and the above figures may include more than one claim for a specific individual. Information on the number of officials who have claimed for evening dress allowance and the total cost of such claims for each of the MOJ’s NDPBs is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to provide.
	Civil service terms and conditions are currently being reviewed through the civil service reform programme.

Community Orders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged (a) 10 to 15, (b) 16 to 18 and (c) 18 to 21 years and sentenced to community orders were sentenced to (i) unpaid work for up to 300 hours, (ii) specific activities, such as developing skills or making amends to their victim, (iii) undertaking a particular programme to help change offending behaviour, (iv) prohibition from doing particular activities, (v) adherence to a curfew, requiring the offender to be in a particular place at certain times, (vi) an exclusion requirement, prohibiting the offender from going to particular places, (vii) a residence requirement, obliging the offender to live at a particular address, (viii) mental health treatment with the offender's consent, (ix) a drug rehabilitation requirement with the offender's consent, (x) an alcohol treatment requirement with the offender's consent and (xi) supervision by the Probation Service in each year since May 2005; and how many (A) completed and (B) failed to complete their sentence in each such year.

Jeremy Wright: Table 1 provides information on the numbers of (a) 10 to 15, (b) 16 to 18 and (c) 18 to 21-year-olds sentenced at all courts to a community sentence, by age groups and type of community sentence, in England and Wales, 2005 to 2012. Centrally held sentencing data does not include information on the individual requirements attached to community orders.
	Central data sources of starts of probation service supervision include information on the requirements attached to community orders for all offenders aged 18 and over. Offenders under the age of 18 are not subject to supervision by the probation service. Table 2 provides the number of requirements started as part of a community order by offenders aged 18-21 by type of requirement in England and Wales, 2005 to 2012. The total number of requirements started as part of a community order will be greater than the number of community order starts in any year because an offender may have one or more requirement attached to an order.
	Termination rates of individual requirements are not available from centrally held probation data sources. Nationally, 66% of community orders given to offenders of all ages ran their full course or terminated early due to good progress.
	The Government is committed to strengthening community sentences, so that they combine robust punishment with requirements that are effective at preventing further offending and which provide reparation to victims and communities. At a time when crime is falling we have increased the length and duration of curfews, given courts greater flexibility to impose programme and treatment requirements, and made the delivery of community payback swifter and more intensive. Provisions in the Crime and Courts Act 2013 will ensure that all community orders contain a punitive element, give courts new powers to electronically monitor the location of offenders, and increase the use of pre-sentence restorative justice.
	General information on the completion rates of offending behaviour programmes are available within the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum 2011-12:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/163292/noms-annual-report-2011-12-addendum.pdf.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Tables 1 and 2 will be placed in the Library of the House.

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 93W, on conditions of employment, how many people in his Department were employed on zero hours contracts in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: The number of staff employed on zero-hour contracts in the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) in each of the last three financial years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 As at 1 April to 31 March each year Total cumulative staff number 
			 2010-11 238 
			 2011-12 218 
			 2012-13 172 
		
	
	The use of zero-hour contracts enables greater flexibility where work is irregular, thereby making more efficient use of resources to meet demand. The staff are only paid for the hours that they work.

Court of Protection

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases coming before the Court of Protection were later subject to Judicial Review in each year since May 2005;
	(2)  how many decisions of the Court of Protection were appealed and how many were upheld or overturned in each year since May 2005;
	(3)  in how many cases the Court of Protection has made an order resulting in (a) imprisonment or (b) confiscation of a defendant's possessions in each year since May 2005;
	(4)  how many cases of the Court of Protection were prohibited from being reported in each year since May 2005.

Helen Grant: The Court of Protection is a unique court dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society. Its specialist judges are called on to make decisions in cases where there is a concern a person may not have the mental capacity to act in their own interests—for example about their property, financial affairs, healthcare or personal welfare. The Court of Protection is a Superior Court of Record and takes its place with other civil, family and criminal jurisdictions, but is separate from the county court and High Court and has its own set of rules.
	The Ministry of Justice is not aware of any cases in the Court of Protection that have been subject to judicial review since the court was created on 1 October 2007. At the present time, data between the Court of Protection and other courts, including the Court of Appeal are not linked and I am therefore unable to provide information on the numbers of appealed cases and the outcomes with any degree of accuracy. We are investigating how this can be resolved.
	The Court of Protection database does not hold a record of the outcomes of these appeals.
	Since October 2007, the court has made an order for imprisonment in one case. That related to contempt. The court has no powers to confiscate a defendant's possessions.
	The Court of Protection generally sits in private, but this is to reflect the sensitive and personal, and, in particular, the financial nature of the issues being discussed. It is also because the person who is the subject of the proceedings may become vulnerable if identified. However, the court does have a wide discretion to: authorise the publication of information about private hearings; authorise persons, including the media, to attend a private hearing; exclude persons from attending a hearing and otherwise restrict the publication of information about a hearing—the court will decide what restriction to impose on a case by case basis. The court does not record the detail of reporting restrictions. To research all cases where hearings have been held since October 2007 would be a disproportionate cost.
	The Government agrees there is a need for greater openness in the Court of Protection and that it is important to make progress so as to ensure public confidence. We acknowledge that there is a public perception and concern that the court is unjustifiably secret and this cannot be allowed to continue.
	The question of how to open up the Court of Protection further and balance access with proper controls to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information which might be harmful to parties in the proceedings if released (including vulnerable children and adults) remains a difficult and controversial issue, which requires careful and serious consideration.
	The President of the Court of Protection is currently considering how progress can be made through changes to Rules of Court, practice directions and guidance to further the public understanding of proceedings, while respecting the right to privacy of vulnerable individuals.

Court of Protection

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases were considered by the Court of Protection in each year since May 2005;
	(2)  in how many cases the Court of Protection has made a finding of contempt of court in each year since May 2005;
	(3)  what the cost of representations on behalf of the state in cases coming before the Court of Protection was in each year since May 2005;
	(4)  what the cost of running the Court of Protection was in each year since May 2005;
	(5)  what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average time was for cases coming before the Court of Protection to be heard in each year since May 2005.

Helen Grant: The Court of Protection is a unique court dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society. Its specialist judges are called on to make decisions in cases where there is a concern a person may not have the mental capacity to act in their own interests—for example about their property, financial affairs, healthcare or personal welfare. The Court of Protection is a Superior Court of Record and takes its place with other civil, family and criminal jurisdictions, but is separate from the county court and High Court and has its own set of rules.
	From May 2005 to October 2007, the previous Court of Protection was an office of the Supreme Court and like for like figures about the number of cases considered each year are therefore not available. The current Court of Protection came into being on 1 October 2007 following the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. MOJ publishes applications made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 made at the Court of Protection from 2008:
	
		
			  Number of applications 
			 2008 22,583 
			 2009 19,093 
			 2010 20,459 
			 2011 23,538 
			 2012 24,877 
		
	
	We do not have the data linked to be able to provide accurate information on the duration of cases coming to the Court in its various locations in England and Wales, since October 2007. We are currently scoping how this can be achieved.
	The Ministry of Justice does not publish figures for contempt of court offences in the Court of Protection. This specific offence is more detailed than the offence group statistics published in the annual ‘Criminal Justice Statistics’ publication. To collect data on specific cases in the Court would be disproportionately expensive, as it would entail researching each case that had been heard in the Court of Protection throughout England and Wales.
	There are occasions where NHS trusts and local authorities are involved in Court of Protection cases. However, the Ministry of Justice does not have any information regarding the costs involved, as collecting it from each NHS trust or local authority would be disproportionately expensive.
	When the current Court came into being on 1 October 2007, its running costs were shared with those of the Office of the Public Guardian. I will write to the hon. Member further on this point as the information regarding the courts costs at this time are not readily to hand. On 1 April 2009 responsibility for the Court transferred to HMCTS. Running costs since that date have been:
	2009-10: £3.9 million
	2010-11: £5.0 million
	2011-12: £4.4 million
	2012-13: £4. l million.
	The full cost of running the Court of Protection (including allocated overhead costs) has been calculated as part of the workings for a fees and charges note to the HMCTS Annual Report and Accounts, and the HMCS predecessor reports, since 2009-10. Equivalent data are not available prior to 2009-10.

Courts: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason changes to the low-level courts structure are being initiated in Shropshire in advance of his Department's review of the future shape of HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

Helen Grant: A consultation document has been issued on possible changes to local justice areas (LJA) covering the West Mercia area. There is no centrally-driven policy to alter LJAs. These are local initiatives and this consultation has been issued on behalf of the Justices' Issues Group (JIG)—a group comprising the chairmen of the six magistrates' benches covered by the JIG, representatives of the Magistrates' Association for the area, the District Judge (magistrates courts) and Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service managers. The consultation process has not yet concluded, and no decisions have been made. LJAs are defined in secondary legislation and any changes will therefore require the amendment of that legislation.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Hardship Fund were rejected due to being received after the four week eligibility cut-off point since the new scheme was established.

Helen Grant: None of the Hardship Fund applications sent to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have been rejected due to being received after the four week eligibility cut-off point.

Criminal Proceedings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average length of time was between a crime being committed and an offender being sentenced in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  what the average time taken was from sentencing to appeal hearing in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(3)  what the average time taken was from the end of a trial to sentencing in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  what the average time taken was from charge to the commencement of a trial in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Helen Grant: Data relating to the timeliness of cases which result in a trial and/or sentencing occasion are not currently published by the Ministry of Justice. The creation and quality assurance of unpublished breakdowns of existing timeliness datasets would be disproportionate to costs.
	Published breakdowns for data related to the timeliness of criminal court cases in England and Wales for the period 2010 to 2012 can be found as part ‘Chapter 3—Criminal cases’ of the Ministry of Justice statistics bulletin ‘Court Statistics Quarterly’.
	Published tables (Tables 3.6—3.9, 3.23 and 3.24) can be found at the following
	link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207806/court-stats-q1-main-tables.xls

Death

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions or reported offences there have been under the amended section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 offence of causing the death or serious physical harm of a child or vulnerable adult which came into force on 2 July 2012; and where such statistics are reported on the Office for National Statistics website.

Jeremy Wright: There were no convictions for the offence of causing or allowing a child or vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, as amended by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims (Amendment) Act 2012, in England and Wales, between 2 July 2012 and the end of 2012 (latest available). This offence only came into effect in July 2012, thus could explain why there have not been any convictions to date. We will continue to monitor the new offence.
	There were three convictions for the offence of causing the death of a child or vulnerable adult under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, in England and Wales, in calendar year 2012.
	Annual statistics for convictions are reported by the Justice Statistics Analytical Services (MOJ) as part of their ‘Criminal Justice Statistics’ publications. The most recent publication is the quarterly update to December 2012, which can be accessed at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-update-to-december-2012
	Convictions and sentencing data, by offence type, are available in ‘Volume 5—All Courts’, which is an Excel spreadsheet within a Zip file of 371KB. Within the spreadsheet in tab ‘s5.1’ convictions and sentencing data for offence type ‘4.7 Causing death of a child or vulnerable adult’ is available. In future, when convictions and sentences are recorded for the offence of causing or allowing a child or vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm, they will be separately identified within this table, which will be under the identifier 4.11.
	Annual criminal justice statistics for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
	Additionally, the Home Office collects data for offences recorded under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 as amended by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims (Amendment) Act 2012. However, from the statistics collected centrally it is not possible to separately identify the number of child or vulnerable adult victims who died from those who suffered serious physical harm. Data for both these offences are recorded under Home Office offence classification 4.7 and are available from the Office for National Statistics website in Table A4 of the Appendix tables to ‘Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending December 2012’. The table can be accessed at:
	http://ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-december-2012/rft-appendix-tables.xls

Domestic Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what definition of the term domestic violence his Department uses for court operational purposes; and which relationships are covered by that term.

Helen Grant: The Government uses the following non-legislative definition of domestic violence as part of its strategy for raising awareness of and tackling domestic violence against women and girls, which was revised on 31 March 2013:
	“Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse: psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.”
	The courts in England and Wales are responsible for operating civil, family and criminal proceedings during which issues of domestic violence may arise. In such situations the independent judiciary will interpret and apply the relevant law to the individual circumstances of the case. A Home Office circular issued in February 2013, however, drew attention to the cross-government definition and recipients included the judiciary and lay magistracy.
	In relation to domestic violence and the definition of family relationships, the courts will apply the definitions contained in Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996 when considering an application for a protective measure such as a non-molestation or occupation order. Section 62 of the Act defines relationships by reference to “cohabitants”, “relevant child” and “associated persons” and in section 63 defines “relative” as mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister and grandparents whether directly related, in-laws or step-family.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was raised from fines for driving whilst uninsured in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Grant: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of all live and closed fine accounts.

Driving: Disqualification

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what redress is available to a person whose driving licence is revoked as a result of a court wrongly notifying the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency that the person has been disqualified from driving.

Helen Grant: When complaints are received, HMCTS conducts an investigation to determine the cause of the problem. Any remedial action is taken, including in this case notifying the DVLA so that it can return the driving licence to the driver in question. The court will apologise where something has gone wrong and, where appropriate, a compensation payment is made.

Driving: Disqualification

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date East London Magistrates Court notified the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency that the court had wrongly identified Mr Byrne of Christchurch as the person disqualified from driving by the court on 1 July 2013 for an offence on 19 January 2013.

Helen Grant: East London magistrates court notified the DVLA of the error on 5 July 2013.

Driving: Disqualification

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason East London Magistrates Court did not write to Mr Byrne of Christchurch reinstating his driving licence as soon as it realised on 5 July 2013 that it had made an error in instructing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to revoke his licence.

Helen Grant: HMCTS is aware that a number of errors have occurred in this case and I will be writing to the hon. Member to provide a more detailed response to explain what happened. HMCTS will be writing to Mr. Byrne to apologise for the mistakes that have occurred in his case.

Electronic Tagging

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how his Department plans to monitor the effectiveness of GPS-style tagging of offenders by private companies;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost of introducing GPS tagging of offenders;
	(3)  what research his Department has undertaken into the effectiveness of GPS-style electronic tagging of offenders.

Jeremy Wright: The electronic monitoring contracts are currently being competed and new contracts are due to come into force next year. These contracts will include monitoring the effectiveness of new technology, including GPS capability, as part of the contract management process. As part of the competition we will test the effectiveness of the new technology before full deployment.
	The extent of the use of GPS technology under the new contracts, and hence the cost, will depend on a range of factors including the relevant provisions of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the outcome of the technical testing, and the outcome of the competition itself. However, we intend the competition to achieve significant cost savings compared with the cost of current provision.
	The Ministry of Justice published an evaluation of the earlier pilots of satellite tracking of offenders in August 2007. This is available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100505212400/http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/satellite-tracking-of-offenders.pdf
	The numbers quoted in this report are based on pilot data from 2004 to 2006, and do not provide a basis for extrapolating figures for the new contracts.

Electronic Tagging

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to monitor the effectiveness in reducing re-offending of the electronic tagging of offenders currently undertaken by each of the private sector companies contracted to provide such a service;
	(2)  what research his Department has undertaken into the effectiveness of electronic tagging in reducing reoffending rates.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has undertaken research to determine the relative effectiveness of community order requirements, including curfews (which are enforced by electronic monitoring), at reducing re-offending, for offenders with similar characteristics. This found that offenders who received a punitive requirement (unpaid work or curfew) in addition to supervision were less likely to re-offend and committed fewer re-offences within a two year period compared to those who only received supervision.
	In addition, we have also undertaken separate research into the effect of release on Home Detention Curfew (HDC), which is also enforced using electronic monitoring, on recidivism. Compared to similar offenders, this showed that those released on HDC were no more likely to engage in criminal behaviour during the first two years after release from custody than those who were not eligible for release on HDC, even factoring in the additional time spent in the community.
	This research is published on the MOJ website and can be located on the following webpages:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research-and-analysis/moj/effectiveness-community-order-requirements
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/162338/effect-early-release-hdc-recidivism.pdf.pdf
	We have not made any assessment as to the impact individual providers of electronic monitoring have had on reoffending for the offenders whom they work with.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those who breached the conditions of their tagging and were due to be recalled to prison failed to be recalled in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Data on the number of prisoners released from custody on licence that have been recalled and returned to prison are published quarterly in a Ministry of Justice statistical bulletin. This may be found at the following web address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2
	By the end of 2012, since 1984, there were 994 prisoners who had been recalled and not returned to custody by the police. Of these, 97 were on home detention curfew, which was introduced in 1999, at the time of recall, broken down in the following table.
	
		
			 Year of recall Number recalled in year still UAL 
			 1999 5 
		
	
	
		
			 2000 1 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 18 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 10 
			 2007 9 
			 2008 6 
			 2009 7 
			 2010 4 
			 2011 5 
			 2012 11

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents there were of tags being incorrectly removed from offenders in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: We are not aware of any cases in 2012 where tags were incorrectly removed from offenders.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents there were of tags being incorrectly fitted to the wrong person in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: We are aware of three cases in 2012 where a tag was initially fitted to the wrong person. In each instance, the investigation report revealed that there had been a deliberate attempt to deceive the field officer responsible for fitting the tag. Immediate follow-up action was taken to ensure that the correct individuals were dealt with appropriately.

Electronic Tagging

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will direct his Department to halt the process of contracting out probation services until the forensic audit by PwC and investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into electronic tagging providers have been completed.

Jeremy Wright: Our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms will see the extension of statutory supervision and rehabilitation to an additional 50,000 offenders who are sentenced to less than 12 months in custody. It is vital that we move ahead now to change the system so that these offenders can begin to receive the support they need and the much needed reductions in reoffending rates can begin to be achieved.
	The Department has taken steps to ensure that we have the best processes and people in place to manage these contracts and to deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
	As the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), made clear in his statement to the House on 11 July 2013, Official Report, columns 573-75, the Department is auditing all contracts it holds with G4S and Serco. We will not be awarding any further contracts to these companies unless the audits reach a satisfactory outcome.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what cost to the public purse has been incurred in the last financial year arising from employment tribunal cases involving claims for equal pay where an expert was instructed.

Helen Grant: It is not possible to provide information on the cost of particular types of cases within the employment tribunal system. In particular, information on equal pay (equal value) litigation in which an independent expert is instructed is not collated centrally and could be identified only at disproportionate cost by manually trawling through tribunal files.
	However using official statistics published by the Ministry of Justice, it is possible to report on the number of receipts and disposals in relation to equal pay complaints in the financial year 2012-13. Tables 1 and 2 set out this information.
	Table 1 provides the number of equal pay jurisdictional complaints presented and disposed of by employment tribunals during the financial year 2012-13.
	
		
			 Table 1: Receipts and disposals of equal pay complaints in 2012-13 
			 Equal pay complaints 2012-13 
			 Receipts 23,638 
			 Disposed 24,626 
			 Source: Official Annual Employment Tribunal Stats 2012-13 
		
	
	The employment tribunals disposed of more complaints than have been received during the year 2012-13.
	Table 2 provides the number of equal pay complaints that have been disposed of, broken down by type of disposal, where that disposal was by judicial determination (rather than by ACAS conciliation, withdrawal or otherwise).
	
		
			 Table 2: 2012-13 equal pay complaints disposals at hearing 
			  Equal pay complaints 
			 Successful at tribunal 9 
			 Dismissed at preliminary hearing(1) 43 
			 Unsuccessful at hearing(2) 50 
			 Default judgement 3 
			 (1) Previously described as dismissed at hearing (out of scope) (2 )Previously described as dismissed at hearing (other reasons) Source: Official Annual Employment Tribunal Stats 2012-13 
		
	
	The tables show that the vast majority of equal pay complaints are disposed of by withdrawal, ACAS conciliation or otherwise and are not disposed of at hearing.

Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department (a) in total and (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice, across its business areas, is working to ensure that equality of opportunity and diversity are a normal part of everyday business. As an employer, the Ministry seeks to ensure that its policies are fair and accessible to all. In addition, the Ministry seeks to provide its services in a way that complies with the aims of the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010.
	The information requested however is not collected or held centrally and could not be provided other than at a disproportionate cost as it would mean contacting every establishment and agency to request what is potentially wide ranging information.

Family Courts: Rhyl

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the closure of Rhyl family courts.

Helen Grant: As announced in the written ministerial statement of 18 October 2012, Official Report, column 36WS, Rhyl county court will be closed no earlier than April 2014. The intention remains to relocate work to Prestatyn.

Family Courts: Rhyl

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to dispose of the Rhyl Family Court building.

Helen Grant: Rhyl county court will close no earlier than April 2014 therefore currently there are no plans to dispose of the building.

Family Law

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he has put in place to promote the availability of new legal aid-funded family mediation since 1 April 2013;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the level of enquiries to all legally aided family mediation services since 1 April 2013;
	(3)  what proportion of cases have been heard in the family division before a district judge where an FM1 form has not been completed between April 2012 and March 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Legal aid for family mediation has been available since 1997 and this continues as a result of the reforms to legal aid implemented in April 2013. This includes the provision of legal advice, where appropriate, to support the mediation process.
	The coalition Government is making full use of communication channels available to it to ensure that the public has access to information when they need it, including the availability of legal aid to fund family mediation. The ‘Sorting Out Separation’ web app launched in November 2012 provides the key gateway for separating parents and couples to access help, advice and services.
	We are also continuing to work with organisations such as Citizens Advice to ensure accurate information continues to be given to the public about family mediation following legal aid changes. As part of the Government's commitment to promote family mediation we recently launched a short animation film which has been posted on YouTube and on a number of partner websites.
	A court guide for separated parents has just been published and will shortly be accompanied by three videos explaining key stages of the court process. The guide makes clear the need to consider family mediation and contains links to the family mediation service tinder website from which the public can locate a qualified and assured family mediator.
	The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) collates data on the number of publicly funded Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) attended and on mediation starts. Monthly figures from April 2012 are set out in the following table. Referrals to publicly funded MIAMs rose 42% in March 2013 due to a large surge in applications for legal aid ahead of the changes implemented from 1 April 2013. LAA data show a decrease in such MIAMs of 30% in April based on the same period in 2012 and provisional figures for May show a further significant decrease. It is still too early to assess the steady-state position given that there were an additional 10,000 applications for legal aid certificates most of which occurred in the final weeks of March.
	
		
			  Couples attending a MIAM 
			 2012  
			 April 2,316 
			 May 2,829 
			 June 2,236 
			 July 2,631 
			 August 2,403 
			 September 2,343 
			 October 2,619 
			 November 2,454 
			 December 1,615 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 2,443 
			 February 2,783 
			 March 4,037 
			 April 1,585 
			 May 1,204 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collate data on whether or not a Form FM1 has been filed in any cases heard in the family division.
	Research commissioned by this Department to commence shortly will include a court file based study of cases and include an assessment of the level of compliance in tiling Form FM1 and the type of responses entered.
	A clause in the Children and Families Bill currently before Parliament would require all applicants to the court in relevant family proceedings (with exemptions) to first attend a MIAM before issuing proceedings to find out about and consider mediation. We expect this measure to increase the volume of MIAMs attended.

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following on the provision of services with Grant Thornton since 2008. Spend is for the calendar year and is exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 2008 151,071.89 
			 2009 60,914.88 
			 2010 50,389.28 
			 2011 6,000.00 
			 2012 0

Homicide

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of (a) male and (b) female victims of homicide were acquainted with the principal suspect in their murder in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Justice asking for the proportion of (a) male and (b) female victims of homicide who were acquainted with the principle suspect in their murder in each of the last five years. (165179)
	Data provided in the table below are sourced from the homicide index, which is a database separate from the main recorded crime dataset which contains detailed record-level information about each homicide recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is continually updated with revised information from the police and courts and, as such, is a richer source of data than the main recorded crime dataset. The data refer to the position as at 1 November 2012, when the Homicide Index database was ‘frozen’ for the purpose of analysis presented in the ONS statistical bulletin published in February 2013.
	The table below shows the percentage of victims acquainted with the principle suspect for male and female victims. The definition of acquaintance is: son or daughter, parent, partner or ex-partner, other family member and friend or acquaintance.
	
		
			 England and Wales 
			 All victims (Percentage) 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Male victims 52 54 54 59 54 
			 Female victims 78 78 78 80 78 
		
	
	These data have been published by ONS and have been extracted from Table 2.05 in ‘Appendix tables-Focus on: Violent crime and Sexual offences 2011/12’
	http://ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/focus-on-violent-crime/rft-appendix-tables.xls
	Updated England and Wales figures for 2012/13 are due to be published in February 2014.
	Crime statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are collected and published separately, and can be downloaded from:
	Scotland:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice
	Northern Ireland:
	http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/northern-ireland-crime-survey-s-r/

Homicide: Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been given court bail after being charged with (a) murder and (b) attempted murder in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people on 8 July 2013 were on bail for (a) murder and (b) attempted murder.

Jeremy Wright: Bail may not be granted to someone charged with murder unless the court is of the opinion that there is no significant risk that, if released on bail, that person would commit an offence that would be likely to cause injury to another person.
	A change introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 allows the CPS to appeal in cases where the Crown court grants bail in the face of representations from the prosecution.
	The number of defendants remanded on bail at magistrates courts and the Crown court for the offences of murder and attempted murder, in England and Wales, in each year between 2010 and 2012 (latest currently available), is shown in the table.
	The table presents data based on the final date on which the defendants appeared in court and proceedings were concluded. The date on which the court made remand decisions on those defendants is not held centrally, with remand decisions potentially made at an earlier stage during proceedings in previous months.
	
		
			 Defendants remanded on bail at magistrates courts(1) and the Crown court for the offences of murder(2) and attempted murder, England and Wales, 2010 to 2012 
			 Defendants 
			 Court type / offence 2010 2011 2012 
			 Magistrates courts(3)    
			 Murder 3 1 0 
			 Attempted murder 10 16 17 
			     
			 The Crown court(3)    
			 Murder 4 2 2 
			 Attempted murder 9 9 4 
			 (1) Data for magistrates courts are estimated. (2) The offence of murder is contrary to Common Law. (3) Remand status shown is that recorded at the point of committal from the magistrates court to the Crown court for trial or sentence. (4) Cases of murder proceeded against at magistrates courts are subsequently committed for trial or sentence at the Crown court. It is therefore possible for defendants to be counted twice in this table. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database.

Judicial Review

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to stop weak judicial review cases.

Helen Grant: With effect from 1 July we have removed the right to an oral renewal hearing in applications for judicial review where a judge has certified that the case is totally without merit. We have also, from that date, reduced the time limit for applying for permission to bring a planning or a procurement judicial review from three months to six weeks in planning cases and 30 days in procurement cases. In addition the Government intends to introduce a fee for an oral renewal in due course.

Legal Aid Scheme

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much legal aid has been spent on each of the top 10 per cent of the most costly criminal cases in the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: The amount of legal aid spent on each of the top 10% of the most costly cases in the last three years is shown in the following table. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) have calculated this information based on the most expensive cases where the final payments were made in the referenced year. The payments in the referenced year and previous years have been aggregated to obtain the full case costs.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Criminal legal aid expenditure 1,206 1,164 1,088 
			 10% expensive cases cost 120 116 109 
			 Notes: 1. The amounts given are not necessarily final—it is possible that some cases might incur additional costs in addition to costs stated, for example, where the lawyers appeal against the amounts paid. 2. A single large criminal investigation can lead to many trials. 3. The information provided includes information on cases as recorded centrally by the LAA. As with any large database, it is possible that some details can be entered incorrectly. 4. All the cases costs include VAT.

Legal Aid Scheme

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government's proposed reforms to legal aid funding on provider choice in rural areas.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	Five impact assessments have been written in relation to this consultation and they address the numbers of legal aid recipients that would potentially be affected by these proposals. The impact assessments are as follows:
	1) Civil Credibility Impact Assessment
	2) Crime Credibility Impact Assessment
	3) Civil Fees Impact Assessment
	4) Crime Fees Impact Assessment
	5) Criminal Litigation Price Competition Impact Assessment.
	They are all available to download from the Consultation webpage which can be found here:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
	The analysis supporting this was undertaken at the national level, rather than at the regional level.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of public confidence in the legal aid system.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included proposals for improving public confidence in the legal aid scheme.
	The proposals include reforms to prison law to ensure that legal aid is not available for matters that do not justify the use of public funds such as treatment issues; the introduction of a household disposable income threshold above which defendants would no longer receive criminal legal aid; a residence test for civil legal aid claimants; reforms to reduce the use of legal aid to fund weak judicial reviews; and amendments to the civil merits test to prevent the funding of any cases with less than a 50% chance of success.
	These are anomalies that exist in the system which we believe undermine the credibility of the scheme and we are seeking to address these issues. Against a backdrop of continuing pressure on public finances, we need to continue to scrutinise everything we do and every pound we spend to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer. When almost every other area of government spending is being further reduced, legal aid cannot be immune if we are to ensure a sustainable and credible system.

Legal Aid Scheme

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that solicitors working with children are adequately trained in communicating with children in his proposals for legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation.
	Children in family cases are appointed a guardian and it is that guardian who usually instructs the solicitor on behalf of the child. The main control in this area is exercised by the Law Society which requires that any solicitor representing a child is a member of the Law Society Children Panel. The Law Society sets the applicable standards and the accreditation process. The proposals on which we consulted would not affect this process.
	The current crime contract includes provisions for accepting applications for crime contract work on behalf of a child or protected party and accepting instructions directly from a child (paragraphs 4.24-4.29 of spec: part A). However, any specific skills and competence of a solicitor dealing with a child are not covered by the crime contract. We have asked for views from respondents on the factors they feel we should consider when designing the criteria for any future procurement process, which could include the skills and experience necessary for dealing with children. We are carefully considering all responses to the consultation on these issues.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the optimum distance of travel to legal firms to enable people to be able to access legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	Travel times between the provider of legally aided services and the client would be most heavily influenced by the size and geography of the proposed procurement area. We have explored how best to divide England and Wales into procurement areas (areas within which we would invite tenders to provide the full range of services), which would be the areas within which services would be delivered. We based our assessment of the options set out in the consultation paper on data from October 2010 to September 2011 on the volume and value of the criminal legal aid defence work which exists in each specified areas. The decision on the size of the procurement area would influence the number of providers in that area.
	We considered four options for the size of the procurement areas, outlined on page 47 of the consultation paper, and proposed that—with the exception of London, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire—procurement areas should be set by the current Criminal Justice System areas.
	In the consultation, specific questions were asked about the suitability of the proposed procurement areas. We asked respondents for their views on what factors should be taken into consideration in designing the criteria against which to test applicants for a new contract. We set out a number of proposed conditions including a requirement to have or commit to acquiring premises that are accessible for clients. Officials are analysing the responses now with a view to publishing the Government response in the autumn.

Legal Aid Scheme

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he will take to ensure that children have access to appropriately qualified solicitors under his proposals for criminal legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial. Quality assured lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas.
	The current crime contract includes provisions for accepting applications for crime contract work on behalf of a child or protected party and accepting instructions directly from a child (paragraphs 4.24-4.29 of spec: part A). However, any specific skills and competence of a solicitor dealing with a child are not covered by the crime contract. We have asked for views from respondents on the factors they feel we should consider when designing the criteria for any future procurement process, which could include the skills and experience necessary for dealing with children. We are carefully considering all responses to the consultation on these issues.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the representation sent to him on 25 June 2013 by the campaign group Liberty, setting out its concerns about the proposals announced in his Department's consultation, Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a more credible and efficient system; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The consultation itself has received around 16,000 responses, including from the campaigning organisation Liberty. Officials are currently considering all the responses before final decisions are taken. The Government response is due to be published in the autumn.

Legal Aid Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish an age impact assessment of the proposals contained in his Department's consultation, Transforming Legal Aid.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The Government is mindful of the importance of considering the impact of the legal aid proposals on different groups. In accordance with our duties under the Equality Act 2010 we considered the impact of the proposals on individuals sharing protected characteristics in order to give due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful conduct, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations.
	The equalities assessment, annex K of the main consultation document, contains our analysis of the potential impact of the proposals were they to be implemented, including, where information is available, the impact on different age groups. We are now considering all responses to the consultation and will update our assessment in light of any additional information.

Legal Aid Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish an equality impact assessment of the proposals contained in his Department's consultation, Transforming Legal Aid.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The Government is mindful of the importance of considering the impact of the legal aid proposals on different groups. In accordance with our duties under the Equality Act 2010 we have considered the impact of the proposals on individuals sharing protected characteristics in order to give due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful conduct, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations.
	This equalities assessment was published as a part of the main consultation document. It is Annex K and starts on page 142. We are now considering all responses to the consultation and will update our assessment in light of any additional information.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings with legal aid consultees he has planned; and if he will make a statement on the response to the consultation.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation.
	Ministers and I will continue to meet with individuals and organisations from across the legal professions in relation to our “Transforming Legal Aid” policy proposals.
	The consultation received around 16,000 responses which officials are currently analysing. We will carefully consider all responses before final decisions are taken and the Government response is published in the autumn.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list all meetings he and Ministers have held as part of the legal aid consultation; and on what dates these meetings took place.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	For a list of meetings my ministerial colleagues, officials, and I have undertaken since October 2012 I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz), PQ 158068, 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 480-84W.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list all submissions received in response to his recent consultation on legal aid changes and ensure that they are all published.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	It is a long standing practice that responses to Government consultations are not published. Many individuals and organisations (such as the Bar Council and Law Society) choose to share their responses with MPs or make their responses public and many are usually available online to that end.
	I also understand, from the Justice Select Committee's (JSC) meeting on 3 July, that the JSC has been sent copies of many of the responses.
	We will publish a summary of the responses to the consultation questions along with the Government response—as we did with our last legal aid consultation.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if his Department will publish all responses to the recent legal aid consultation.

Jeremy Wright: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) today, PQ 163522.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what impact assessment he has made of the financial effects of price competitive tendering on legal service provision in Wales.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation. This included a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The impact assessments published alongside the consultation paper detail the potential impacts of the proposals. However, these do not consider any specific geographic areas, and there is no intention to conduct such an assessment. The full impact assessment of the price competitive tendering model can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice's website at the following address:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid

Legal Profession: Payments

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time a member of the publicly-funded criminal bar waits for payment of invoiced funds; and what the longest length of time such a member has had to wait for payment in the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Central records relating to the Advocate Graduated Fee Scheme do not allow the average time of payment to be easily calculated, and this could be done only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) processed 90% of invoices under this scheme within 30 working days last year. The following table shows equivalent figures since 2011-12.
	
		
			 Financial year Published KPI Performance against KPI 
			 2011-12 95% in 40 working days 75% 
			 2012-13 90% in 30 working days 94% 
			 2013 to date 90% in 30 working days 96% 
		
	
	From 1 July 2013 our target has tightened further to 90% in 25 working days. Since the beginning of July 2013, LAA are currently processing the majority of claims at 23 days, so are within the revised target.
	Figures on the longest length of time taken to process closed claims could be generated only at disproportionate cost. However, the oldest dates for payment of cases awaiting processing are as follows. There will be instances when we require further information, as a bill needs further scrutiny to ensure we are using taxpayers' money appropriately. This is entirely the correct thing to do.
	On 3 July 2011, the oldest claim awaiting processing was dated 21 February 2011
	On 1 July 2012, the oldest claim awaiting processing was dated 8 February 2012
	On 4 July 2013, the oldest claim awaiting processing was dated 2 April 2013.

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the average length of time served by people sentenced to a life term in prison.

Jeremy Wright: A life sentence comprises a minimum term of imprisonment, which is determined by the court and must be served in full, after which the offender may be released on life licence when the Parole Board determines it is safe to do so. For the most exceptionally grave offences the court may impose a whole life term which means that the offender is never subject to Parole Board release. The average time served in custody by offenders discharged from a life sentence in 2012 was 14 years.
	A life sentence is mandatory for murder, and this Government has introduced a new mandatory life sentence for a second very serious sexual or violent offence. In addition, Parliament has put in place a maximum penalty of a life sentence for other very serious offences. When imposing a life sentence it is for our independent courts to determine the minimum term to be served in custody for the purposes of punishment and deterrence. There is statutory guidance to the courts on determining the minimum term under a life sentence for murder. Once the minimum term has been served in full, it is for the Parole Board to determine whether or not the offender is safe to be released on licence, which lasts for the rest of the offender's life with the possibility of recall to custody at any time. Many offenders serve longer than their minimum term, and some are never released.
	This information is published annually in April and can be found in Table A3.5 of the Annual Discharges tables 2012 via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/194275/OMSQ_Annual_tables_2012.zip
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Magistrates' Courts: Salford

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how the theft of a network server from Salford magistrates' court in January 2012 took place; who stole the server; what the value of the server was; how it was recovered; what action has been taken against the thief; what documents were on the server; whether such documents (a) related to court staff, defendants, victims or witnesses and (b) included personal or confidential matters or matters related to evidence; what steps have been taken to inform those affected; for what reasons he believes that the information has not been accessed; for what reasons the theft was not reported to the police and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) until June 2012; when he expects the ICO to report; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 2 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 3MC.]

Helen Grant: The theft of a network server from Salford magistrates court occurred during the IT decommissioning process undertaken by contractors during the closure of the court. Following a police investigation, there was insufficient evidence to identify who stole the server and secure a conviction and no charges were brought. The estimated value of the server was £1,200.
	The theft came to light on 3 May 2012 when the server was put up for sale on eBay still bearing the contractor's logo/asset tag. Arrangements were made by the contractor to recover the server on 9 May 2012. Once the facts were established, the incident was reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on 14 June 2013.
	Files recovered from non user-accessible areas of the server contained personal and sensitive data, including court documents and e mails, but a detailed forensic analysis and audit did not identify any access to the files during the time the server was not under the control of MOJ and therefore no action has been taken to inform those affected.
	The matter is still under investigation by the ICO and we await their report.

Missing Persons

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans he has to review the law relating to presumption of death provisions;
	(2)  what practical assistance is given to those whose loved ones are missing presumed dead;
	(3)  what arrangements are in place to allow all lines of police enquiry and evidence to be pursued before any decision regarding presumption of death can be made; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 20 June 2013, Official Report, column 40WS, announcing that the Ministry of Justice and the General Register Office are working to create the necessary rules of court and registration regulations and the associated procedures to implement the Presumption of Death Act 2013, which will create a single certificate of presumed death effective for all purposes. Last year, the Ministry of Justice and the Missing Persons Bureau prepared a factsheet about existing procedures for presuming a person to be dead to assist families of missing people in resolving their affairs.
	Any application under existing procedures or under the new Presumption of Death Act 2013 will need to be supported by evidence as to the probable death of the missing person or of the person having been missing for seven years. What is required in any given case will depend on the circumstances but is likely to include the outcome of any police investigation.

MITIE Group

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

Helen Grant: The annual spend with MITIE for each financial year from 2008 through to 2013-14 (year to date) is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Spend (£) 
			 2008-09 46,929,264.37 
			 2009-10 46,275,772.36 
			 2010-11 47,386,906.92 
			 2011-12 41,148,932.03 
			 2012-13 56,340,717.46 
			 Total 249,418,341.90 
		
	
	Years 2008 to 2011 show a steady trend of spend, in line with the contracts MITIE held with the MOJ at that time. Primarily, this spend was through the provision of security guarding services across courts and tribunals in England and Wales.
	The MOJ changed the delivery model for contracting for security services in 2012 to a total facilities management model which included, among other facilities management requirements, the provision of security services. MITIE were awarded two out of the three contracts tendered at this time. As a result the value of spend with MITIE has shown an upward trend since 2012, following commencement of the new contracts.

Northcote House

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department used the facilities at Northcote House, Sunningdale Park, Berkshire in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: Information on how many Ministers and officials of the Department have used the facilities at Northcote House, Sunningdale Park, Berkshire is not available centrally. It would require a Ministry wide exercise to collect the information. This would incur disproportionate costs.
	Until the end of March 2012, Northcote House was part of the Civil Service College, later the National School of Government. The Ministry of Justice did support and use the training provided by the National School.

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints from (a) prisoners and (b) prison staff there have been about conditions at HM Prison Oakwood since it first opened.

Jeremy Wright: I have asked HMP Oakwood to provide the requested information and will write to the right hon. Member as soon as possible.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost will be of creating new posts in the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service in relation to implementing the changes outlined in the Transforming Rehabilitation paper.

Jeremy Wright: The proposals set out in “Transforming Rehabilitation—a strategy for reform” will make considerable efficiency savings through the use of competition and the introduction of a wider range of providers. Releasing these efficiency savings will enable us to extend statutory supervision and rehabilitation services to offenders sentenced to less than 12 months in custody.
	The Ministry of Justice have a keen interest in ensuring that the reforms are affordable and offer value for money. The Department has been engaging HM Treasury throughout the development of the reforms; the cost of the transition, including any new posts which may be created as a result of the establishment of the National Probation Service, will be affordable within the context of the MOJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014-15.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to HM Courts and Tribunal Service of appeals against personal independence payments.

Helen Grant: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, hears appeals on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support.
	Personal independence payment (PIP) is progressively replacing disability living allowance from April 2013. There are a number of stages a claim made to the DWP must pass through before an appeal reaches the Tribunal: an initial decision by a DWP decision-maker must be made; the claimant needs to dispute the initial decision; mandatory reconsideration of that decision must take place; and the claimant must consider whether to appeal to the Tribunal, and then submit that appeal. The Tribunal is only now starting to receive the first appeals against decisions made about PIP claims, and we are not expecting receipts to flow through to the Tribunal in any numbers for several months, and cannot therefore provide firm expectations of cost.
	The total cost of the SSCS tribunal to HMCTS in 2012-13 was £115 million. The cost of PIP appeals will be included in the overall cost of the SSCS tribunal from 2013-14.

Prisoner Corruption Unit

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which periods the Prisoner Corruption Unit has been without an overall manager since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: None. The National Offender Management Service Corruption Prevention Unit (CPU) sits within the Security Group of NOMS HQ. Since 2008 leadership and oversight of the operational delivery of the CPU has been provided by a senior civil servant.

Prisoner Corruption Unit

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent officials worked in the prison corruption unit on 1 June (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The number of staff in the corruption prevention unit has increased since this Government came to office.
	The information has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			 As at 1 June: Number of full-time equivalent officials 
			 2010 12.15 
			 2011 10.15 
			 2012 15.98 
			 2013 15.98 
		
	
	Corruption in the Prison Service is not acceptable and it will be sought out and prevented. This Government is committed to ensuring that the agencies are free from corruption and that those who do commit illegal acts are dealt with swiftly and reported to the prosecuting authorities.

Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the extent to which prison governors can exercise discretion in awarding extra privileges to prisoners.

Jeremy Wright: We want to ensure that prisons operate to a consistent standard when rewarding prisoners for positive behaviour and engaging with efforts to rehabilitate them. We announced an overhaul of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme on 30 April, with the revised scheme coming into effect from November 2013. The revised scheme will provide consistency across the adult (18 or over) estate, with the introduction of a centralised privileges and facilities list. This will set out what is available at the different IEP levels. Governors of prisons will be able to select privileges from this list to meet local circumstances but will not be able to deviate from it.

Prisoners' Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners wrongly released were still at large in each of the last three years; and what crimes they committed in each such year;
	(2)  of those prisoners wrongly released from prison (a) what category of prisoner they were, (b) what offence they had been found guilty of, (c) which prison they were released from, (d) how many were released from public prisons, (e) how many were released from private prisons and (f) how long it took to return them to prison in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many prisoners were wrongly released from prison in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many prisoners were mistakenly released early in each of the last five years; from which prisons each such prisoner was released; what crime each prisoner had committed; how long it took to return each prisoner to prison; and how many remain at large.

Jeremy Wright: Under this Government the number of releases in error has reduced by 37%. In 2012 there were a total of 45 releases in error, which equated to 0.05% of discharges from prison. Releases in error are taken very seriously and action has been taken to tighten processes and focus managers' attention in this area. All incidents are subject to investigation, The majority prisoners released in error are returned to custody quickly.
	The tables provide the information requested on release in error for each of the last three calendar years. It is not possible to provide a similar breakdown of this information prior to 2010 without incurring disproportionate cost as this would involve a manual interrogation of individual incident records. However, table 1 shows overall numbers of releases in error over the last five financial years taken from historic records.
	It is not possible to provide details of releases in error by category of prisoner. The category of prisoner at time of release in error is not recorded in incident reports and live data shows details of the current security category only. No Category A prisoner has been released in error in the last three years. Any crimes that might be committed by prisoners while they are released in error are not recorded in a form that can easily be retrieved and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Table 1: Overall number of prisoners released in error by financial year 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Releases in error from prisons 24 56 62 55 40 
		
	
	
		
			 Releases in error by escort contractors 7 7 6 8 2 
			 Total releases in error 31 63 68 63 42 
			 Note: Prisoners released in error by escort contractors relate to releases from court following court appearances. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of prisoners released in error, yet to be returned to custody, by calendar year and offence type 
			 Offence Type 2010 2011 2012 
			 Burglary 1 — — 
			 Drugs offences — 2 1 
			 Fraud and forgery 2 — — 
			 Motoring offences 1 — — 
			 Not known 2 — 2 
			 Other 2 1 4 
			 Robbery — — 2 
			 Theft and handling — — 2 
			 Violence against the person — 1 2 
			 Total 8 4 13 
			 Notes: 1. Not all prisoners may subsequently return to custody, for example a remand prisoner released in error may subsequently appear at court and receive a community sentence. 2. The offence type is the main offence recorded for each prisoner released in error; however he or she may not have been convicted at the time of the error. 3. This table reports on all releases in error (from both prisons and court). 
		
	
	The following tables are based on releases in error occurring from prisons only.
	
		
			 Table 3: Number of prisoners released in error from prisons, by year and offence type 
			 Offence type 2010 2011 2012 
			 Burglary 10 3 3 
			 Drugs offences 4 6 7 
			 Fraud and forgery 3 3 — 
			 Motoring offences 2 — — 
			 Not known 3 1 — 
			 Other 9 16 8 
			 Robbery 4 3 5 
			 Sexual offences 1 2 1 
			 Theft and handling 13 4 8 
			 Violence against the person 13 3 5 
			 Total 62 41 37 
			 Notes: 1. The offence type is the main offence recorded for each prisoner released in error; however he or she may not have been convicted at the time of the error. 2. This table contains only releases in error reported by prisons and not releases in error from court. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Number of prisoners released in error from prisons, by year and prison 
			 Establishment 2010 2011 2012 
			 Acklington — 1 — 
			 Altcourse 2 — 1 
			 Bedford — 1 — 
			 Belmarsh — 1 — 
			 Birmingham 2 1 3 
			 Bristol 1 — 1 
			 Brixton 3 2 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Bronzefield — 2 2 
			 Cardiff — — 1 
			 Chelmsford — — 1 
			 Dartmoor 1 — — 
			 Doncaster 1 2 1 
			 Dorchester — 1 — 
			 Dovegate 1 1 1 
			 Dover — 1 — 
			 Down view 1 — — 
			 Durham 1 — 2 
			 Eastwood Park 1 — — 
			 Edmunds Hill 1 — — 
			 Elmley — — 3 
			 Exeter 3 1 — 
			 Featherstone 1 — — 
			 Feltham 1 — 2 
			 Haverigg 1 — — 
			 Hewell 7 1 — 
			 Highdown 3 3 3 
			 Holloway 1 — 1 
			 Hull — 1 — 
			 Kirklevington 1 — — 
			 Leeds — 1 — 
			 Leicester 2 1 — 
			 Lewes — 3 1 
			 Lincoln 1 — — 
			 Lindholme — 1 — 
			 Liverpool 1 1 1 
			 Maidstone 1 — — 
			 Manchester 1 — — 
			 Moorland 1 — 1 
			 New Hall 3 1 2 
			 North Sea Camp 1 — — 
			 Norwich 1 1 — 
			 Nottingham 1 1 — 
			 Parc — — 2 
			 Pentonville 6 7 — 
			 Peterborough  2 — 
			 Peterborough (F) 1 — — 
			 Preston 1 — — 
			 Reading — 1 — 
			 Risley 1 — 1 
			 Rochester 1 1 — 
			 Shrewsbury 1 — — 
			 Swansea 1 1 1 
			 Thameside — — 1 
			 Wandsworth 3 — 3 
			 Wealstun 1 — — 
			 Winchester — — 1 
			 Woodhill — — 1 
			 Total 62 — 37 
			 Note: This table contains only releases in error reported by prisons and not releases in error from court. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 5: Number of prisoners released in error from prisons, by year and prison type 
			  2010 2011 2012 Total 
			 Public prison 57 34 26 117 
			 Private prison 5 7 11 23 
			 Total 62 41 37 140 
			 Note: This table contains only releases in error reported by prisons and not releases in error from court. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 6: Number of prisoners released in error from prisons, by year and the number of days between release in error and next reception into custody 
			  Days 2010 2011 2012 
			 Number of days between release and subsequent return to custody 0 4 2 2 
			  1 8 1 5 
			  2 2 1 2 
		
	
	
		
			  3 2 4 2 
			  4 5 2 1 
			  5 4 1 — 
			  6 — 1 2 
			  7 2 2 1 
			  8 4 1 — 
			  10 — — 1 
			  11 1 1 — 
			  12 — 1 — 
			  13 1 — — 
			  14 — 1 — 
			  15 2 1 — 
			  16 — 3 1 
			  18 — — 1 
			  20 1 — 1 
			  22 1 — 1 
			  24 — — 1 
			  26 — 1 — 
			  28 1 — 1 
			  31 1 — — 
			  33 1 1 — 
			  35 — 1 — 
			  37 1 — — 
			  38 1 — — 
			  40 — 1 — 
			  41 — 1 — 
			  42 — 1 — 
			  43 1 — — 
			  54 — 1 — 
			  55 1 — 1 
			  63 1 — — 
			  70 1 — — 
			  73 — — 1 
			  77 — — 1 
			  85 1 — — 
			  90 1 — — 
			  97 — — 1 
			  120 1 — — 
			  124 1 — — 
			  133 1 — — 
			  136 — 1 — 
			  173 — 1 — 
			  181 1 — — 
			  214 1 — — 
			  237 — — 1 
			  278 1  — 
			  291 — — 1 
			  318 1 — — 
			  404 — 1 — 
			  439 — 1 — 
			  537 — 1 — 
			  727 1 — — 
			      
		
	
	
		
			 Not required to return to custody — 1 3 — 
			      
			 Not yet returned to custody — 5 4 9 
			      
			 Total  62 41 37 
			 Notes: 1. This table contains only releases in error reported by prisons and not releases in error from court. 2. Not all prisoners may subsequently return to custody, for example a remand prisoner released in error may subsequently appear at court and receive a community sentence. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	The number of releases in error may change should further incidents be reported.

Prisoners' Release

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been released on parole licence in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of release decisions made by the Parole Board in each of the last three financial years can be found, by type of sentence, in the board’s 2012-13 annual report which is located at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/parole-board/parole-board-annual-report-2012-2013.pdf?type=Finjan-Download&slot=000000BA&id= 000000B9&location=0A640210s
	The number of prisoners released, in each financial year, will be slightly different from the figures cited in the report as, if a release decision is made late in a financial year, the actual release from prison may occur early in the following financial year.

Prisoners: EU Nationals

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many nationals of other EU member states are held in UK prisons (a) in total and (b) by country of origin.

Jeremy Wright: This information is published routinely in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly bulletin and can be found in Table 1.6 of the prison population tables via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Older People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the needs of older prisoners compared to younger inmates;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of prisoners over the age of 60 in the last 20 years.

Jeremy Wright: The needs of all prisoners are assessed on an individual basis. The differences within the group of older prisoners are wide, and it is not possible to generalise about what their needs are, other than to note that they tend to require increased levels of health and social care.
	The over 60 population comprised 1% of the overall prison population in 1993 rising to 4% of the overall prison population in 2012.

Prisoners: Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1314W, on prisoners: pay, how much was spent per head on prisoners' earnings in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: To identify spend per head for prisoners earnings would require examining a high volume of local individual records from each prison establishment and this would incur disproportionate costs.
	When NOMS last conducted a survey of prisoner pay, in 2007, average prisoner pay was £9.60 per week. Convicted prisoners who refuse to work as directed receive no pay. Existing policy on prisoners' pay is set out in Prison Service Order 4460, a copy of which is available in the House Library.

Prisoners: Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the required level of performance and effort required by HM Prison Service is in any given activity in order to secure eligibility for the standard rate of pay under Prison Service Order 4460;
	(2)  what the rate of pay is for prisoners in (a) work, (b) induction, (c) education, (d) training and (e) offending behaviour programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The minimum rate of pay for employed prisoners is £4 per week. Only minimum rates of pay are set centrally, and responsibility for prisoner pay is devolved to governors and directors, who set the rates of pay for their particular establishments to reflect regime priorities. Eligibility to earn higher rates of pay is a key earnable privilege under the incentives and earned privileges scheme. The last survey of prisons of prisoner pay, completed in 2007, indicated that the average prisoner weekly pay was £9.60.
	Prisoners are eligible for the standard rate of pay if they complete the full working week and demonstrate the required level of performance/effort required in any given activity in the establishment, or in any community work outside the establishment for which they are paid by the prison. The full working week in prison will normally be 10 morning, afternoon, or evening sessions, or five night shifts.
	Prisoners who are employed in work, induction, education, training or offending behaviour programmes will receive at least the minimum weekly rate of pay for employed prisoners. The minimum rate of pay does not preclude deductions for poor attendance or performance. Prisoners who incur deductions for poor attendance and/or performance may earn less than the minimum employed rate, provided that the deductions have been calculated according to the formula published by the governor/director.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) cost per place and (b) cost per prisoner was in (i) publicly run and (ii) privately run prisons in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13.

Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government’s Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of average costs per prisoner and place, based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison and in summary form for the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. The information for financial year 2011-12 and 2010-11 is published as an addendum to the NOMS annual report and accounts and available on the Department’s website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-2011-12
	This link includes restated figures for 2010-11 to enable a more true comparison with 2011-12. Copies of these are also placed in the House Library.
	Full details for average costs per prisoner and place for financial year 2012-13 are not yet finalised. We expect to publish the 2012-13 data by 31 October 2013.
	The Government is committed to delivering reform in our public services. The Prison Competition Phase One Programme will deliver efficiency savings, in line with other public sector prisons, over the next four years.
	Care must be taken in considering the comparison between private and public sector costs for the following reasons:
	1. The public and private groups of prisons are not homogenous groups in terms of prison category, size or age and these factors may have a greater impact on average costs than whether the prisons are public or private sector.
	2. The private sector contracts may have different responsibilities for provision of health or education services than public sector prisons. This will affect their relative costs.
	3. The different financing methods of PFI prisons mean that in an individual year the resource costs of private and public sector prisons are not directly comparable.
	4. The costs are based on resource expenditure recorded in NOMS annual accounts. The PFI prisons are on balance sheet, which means that the element of the private contractors’ charges related to the capital cost is not included in the unit costs, while depreciation of buildings is included. Following government accounting rules, the charge against the resource budget is not calculated in the same way.
	5. The PFI prisons costs include a charge for interest on capital costs. There is no equivalent charge in the public sector costs.

Prisoners: Personal Records

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoner records in each prison establishment in England and Wales have gone missing in each year since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: Data on the loss of prisoner records are available from September 2008 following the introduction of a new data loss reporting procedure which covers prisoner files that go missing. The increase in reporting of losses since the start of 2011-12 coincides with the programme of work that has been carried out to promote awareness of Information Assurance across NOMS and to improve reporting procedures.
	
		
			  Prisoner records gone missing From number of establishments 
			 2008-09 (part year) 1 1 
			 2009-10 13 11 
			 2010-11 12 10 
			 2011-12 24 20 
			 2012-13 31 20 
			 2013 to date 11 8

Prisons

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what arrangements were made for the disposal of equipment, furniture and other assets belonging to HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester, (f) Shrewsbury and (g) Camp Hill on the occasion of their closure;
	(2)  what the total value was of equipment and other assets disposed of due to the closure of HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester, (f) Shrewsbury and (g) Camp Hill in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: In common with all Government Departments, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) must demonstrate value for money when disposing of public assets. NOMS takes very seriously the effective disposal of surplus equipment resulting from prison closures.
	All portable and serviceable items (including equipment and furniture) are re-allocated to other prisons whenever it is practicable and economically viable to do so. As a last resort, equipment that is old, unserviceable, has little value or practical use (or its recovery is prohibitively expensive) is disposed of. This is always the last resort.
	The only items that were disposed of were those deemed under Treasury rules to be of no value, unserviceable, had little value or practical use or its recovery was prohibitively expensive.

Prisons: Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice his Department issues on the provision of boxing in prisons and young offenders' institutions.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which is responsible for PE policy in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales has issued a Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners which sets out a number of requirements prisons must follow. The PSI states that establishments must not deliver any supervision, training or instruction to prisoners in combat sports such as boxing, boxercise, martial arts or any similar activity.
	NOMS is aware however of the importance that physical education (PE) can make on the overall health and welfare of all prisoners especially young offenders and the role sport can play in supporting self-discipline programmes and is currently supporting a request to examine the benefits of a controlled non-contact boxing programme at HMP YOI Doncaster. The evaluation has just begun and is currently at its programme commissioning stage.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many assaults against prison staff in the (a) youth estate and (b) adult estate there were in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service take a zero tolerance approach to violence in prisons. Any offender assaulting a member of staff may be dealt with by the IEP scheme, by an adjudication or by referral to the police for prosecution, depending on the severity of the assault. While on duty prison officers have all the powers, authority and protection of a constable and a prisoner assaulting a prison officer may be charged with assault on a constable.
	Assaults on staff are recorded for HM Prisons and young offender institutes. Where an assault occurs in a shared site, it is not possible to identify with certainty in which part of the establishment the assault occurred. As a proxy, figures are provided for assaults on staff involving those aged under 18 as being in the youth estate and those aged 18 and over as being in the adult estate:
	
		
			 Assaults on staff by age group 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Adult (ages 18 years and above) 2,436 2,767 2691 
			 Youth (ages 15 to 17 years) 413 365 296

Prisons: Drugs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons were committed by (a) prison staff and (b) non-prison staff in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Nine directly employed staff (prison staff) were convicted for smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons in 2012 and nine non-directly employed (non-prison staff) were convicted for smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons in 2012.
	NOMS will always deal robustly with any member of prison staff engaging in any form of staff corruption, including the conveying of prohibited items into prisons, and will look to use internal disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings depending on the circumstances of the case.

Prisons: Education

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the two most recent Ofsted inspection findings were on the standard of prison education, by prison.

Jeremy Wright: Ofsted findings on the standard of education in each prison form part of the inspection carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP). HMIP inspection reports on individual prisons are published on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmi-prisons/prison-and-yoi
	The Government is committed to creating a learning and skills offer in prisons that offers the best possible opportunity of securing sustainable employment. This includes a strong focus on vocational training during the last year in custody that best meets the needs of employers in the areas into which prisoners will be released.

Prisons: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of food procured by prisons came from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The proportion of food (by value) purchased through the Ministry of Justice Foodstuff Contracts produced in the UK for which figures are available is 46% or £27.5 million extrapolated over a 12 month period.
	The data set used to inform this figure has been calculated using actual sales data against the current MOJ foodstuff contracts for the provision of prisoner food during the quarter period October 2012-January 2013.

Prisons: Private Sector

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid to private contractors for running each privately run prison in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how much is budgeted to be spent in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows expenditure incurred with private contractors for each privately managed prison in each financial year 2010-11 to 2012-13, and the budgeted amounts for 2013-14 as at June 2013. The budgets for 2014-15 are not yet available. Budget allocations will be set as part of the Departments regular annual budget allocation process. Allocations will be made on the basis of need and according to departmental priorities.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Out-turn Budget 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Private finance initiative prisons     
			 Altcourse 47.596 47.213 47.488 46.960 
			 Ashfield 25.015 26.285 27.529 28.713 
			 Bronzefield 26.490 27.925 29.168 30.486 
		
	
	
		
			 Dovegate 36.670 38.065 39.402 40.539 
			 Forest Bank 35.572 35.467 36.510 38.093 
			 Lowdham Grange 25.758 26.558 27.972 28.899 
			 Parc 47.946 58.526 59.628 57.517 
			 Peterborough 32.866 33.118 33.776 34.880 
			 Rye Hill 17.944 18.845 19.322 20.610 
			 Thameside n/a 0.143 27.505 30.806 
			      
			 Contracted managed prisons     
			 Birmingham n/a 14.148 28.812 29.139 
			 Doncaster 22.527 19.983 18.547 17.125 
			 Oakwood n/a n/a 23.631 18.049 
			 Wolds 9.104 8.662 8.789 2.323 
			 Total 327.489 354.938 428.078 424.138 
			 Notes: 1. Altcourse—96 additional prisoner places (APPs) deactivated in December 2012 and a further 75 APPs deactivated in April 2013. 2. Parc—new houseblock opened in 2010; deactivation of 138 APPs in April 2013. 3. Thameside became operational on 27 March 2012. 4. Birmingham transferred to private sector management on 1 October 2011. 5. Doncaster contract re-competed with revised pricing effective from 1 October 2011. 6. Oakwood became operational on 24 April 2012; expenditure in 2012-13 included £7.2 million of initial set-up costs. 7. Wolds transferred to public sector management on 1 July 2013. 
		
	
	Expenditure for each prison between years will vary due to a number of factors, including inflation uplift, contract variations, new prisons becoming operational or prisons transferring between the public and private sector, and additional prison places being commissioned or decommissioned.
	Expenditure for some prisons will include substance misuse costs which are recharged to the Department of Health from 2011-12. Not all running costs are met by the private contractors, some costs are met directly by the Department.
	For prisons run under the private finance initiative (PFI) scheme, the expenditure includes the annual instalment for the repayment of the capital cost of the prison building (and related interest payments), as well as the running cost.
	The Government is committed to driving down unit costs in prisons through replacing old and uneconomic accommodation with new modern and cost-effective places within the public sector and private prison estate.
	Annual resource expenditure for individual public sector and private prisons is published each year alongside the management information addendums to the NOMS annual report and accounts.

Prisons: Visits

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed to perform security checks on inmates and visitors entering prisons in each prison in England and Wales, in each year from July 2008.

Jeremy Wright: Prisons may deploy a comprehensive range of robust searching and security techniques. Such measures include basic and enhanced rub down searching and full searching of prisoners, staff and visitors, as appropriate, the use of x-ray machines, drug detection dogs and CCTV surveillance cameras and the imposition of closed (non-contact) visits. Routine and intelligence-led searching of living accommodation and communal areas is also deployed.
	No member of staff is employed only to conduct security checks on prisoners and visitors entering prisons. This task is generally part of a role comprising a range of duties within prisons.
	Individual establishments are required to conduct a local assessment to determine the number of staff required to conduct such checks in each circumstance, which will be dependent on the security category of the establishment, the nature of the area/activity and other specific local needs.

Prisons: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who will be responsible for making the application for planning permission for the North Wales prison.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), will be responsible for making the application for outline planning permission.

Probation

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  in the event of probation outsourcing in England and Wales, whether he expects a reduction in staff in the probation service as a result of the proposals within the Transforming Rehabilitation paper;
	(2)  in the event of probation outsourcing in England and Wales, how he will ensure that the probation system will deal with any increases in demand;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of an increased risk to public safety should offenders be expected to report less frequently to probation staff.

Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” that sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
	Our reforms will extend statutory rehabilitation to offenders sentenced to less than 12 months, open up the market to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, and see the creation of a new public sector national probation service, working to protect the public and building upon the expertise and professionalism which are already in place.
	We expect the majority of staff currently performing probation roles to transfer to the new providers; we will take a sensible and managed approach to making this transition.
	We are designing contracts for rehabilitation providers that will be responsive to changing demands and priorities at local and national levels, new legislation and the wider commissioning context.
	We will introduce new payment incentives for market providers to focus relentlessly on reforming offenders, giving providers the flexibility to do what works to turn offenders’ lives around, but only paying them in full for real reductions in reoffending.
	Public protection is paramount and we will put in place robust systems to ensure that the risk of serious harm to the public is appropriately managed. All offenders who pose a high risk of serious harm, and those who have committed the most serious crimes, will be managed directly by the public sector probation service, and we will place contractual obligations on providers in relation to risk management, including obligations which will ensure that any potential escalation in risk of serious harm to high is identified and referred to the public sector probation service for review. Frequency of contact with the offender will, as now, be partly determined by the risk posed and will be based on the professional judgment of the offender manager.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on how many members of the public have attended each meeting of the Essex Probation Board in each of the last 12 months for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: One member of the public has attended a board meeting of the Essex Probation Trust in the last 12 months.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what directorate within his Department has policy responsibility for Essex probation trust; how many officials of each civil service grade are employed within this directorate; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Oversight of probation trusts is the responsibility of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). A number of officials, across NOMS, have dealings with Essex probation trust.
	For information on staff employed by NOMS, I refer my hon. Friend to the agency’s annual report and accounts for 2012-13, published on 25 June 2013, available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/noms/2013/noms-anuual-report-accounts-2012-13.pdf

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps Essex Probation Trust (EPT) (a) have taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to increase its cost-effectiveness; what meetings officials in his Department have had with EPT on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation continues to review all areas of expenditure as part of its annual business planning process to identify potential for improving cost-effectiveness.
	The contract management team in NOMS is in frequent contact with the trust to discuss performance, including financial performance, which is measured as part of the trust's contract with the Secretary of State. The team also has formal quarterly contract review meetings with the trust.
	Under the Government's “Transforming Rehabilitation” reforms, we will create a new public sector service, which will be more efficient and streamlined than the existing arrangements. It will see the sharing of back-office functions in the new National Probation Service and a commissioning system which, while responsive to local needs, has been structured nationally for greatest efficiency.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response from Essex probation trust to each request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, where the request was agreed to and answered in (a) full and (b) part since October 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The requested information up to and including April 2012 is in the Library. When Essex probation trust has provided us with the information for the period May 2012 to date, I will arrange for this to also be placed in the Library.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff employed by Essex probation trust were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed for misusing the Government procurement card in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: No employee of Essex probation has been suspended or dismissed for misuse of a procurement card.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of Essex Probation Trust's government procurement card transaction data including (a) the date of transaction, (b) the merchant, (c) the value and (d) a description of each item of expenditure incurred since October 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: When Essex Probation Trust has provided us with the requested information, I will arrange for it to be placed in the Library.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent reports he has received of the morale of probation officers in the Essex probation trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: No recent representations have been received in relation to the morale of probation officers in Essex probation trust.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) owns two properties in Scotland:
	52 Melville Street
	Edinburgh EH3 7HF
	54-56 Melville Street
	Edinburgh EH3 7HF
	The venue is used to hear reserved tribunals cases in Scotland from the Employment Tribunal, and the Employment Appeals Tribunal which are UK-wide tribunals.
	Due to commercial sensitivity we cannot provide the value of these properties.

Reoffenders: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps Essex Probation Trust (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to reduce reoffending in (i) Southend-on-Sea and (ii) Essex; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation continues to deliver a full range of services to reduce risk of reoffending by those under supervision. These include integrated offender management (IOM), through co-located police/probation teams in each of the trust's six local delivery units. IOM brings an intensive multi-agency approach to reducing the likelihood of reoffending among those with whom the risk is greatest.
	On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform”, which sets out how we will reform the rehabilitation of offenders in the community in order to drive down reoffending. As part of these reforms, we are going to create a new national public sector probation service.
	The National Probation Service will work alongside new contracted rehabilitation providers and the skills and expertise of probation professionals will be utilised across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Reparation by Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether consent is required before sentenced criminals undertake restorative justice processes.

Jeremy Wright: At all stages of the criminal justice system, restorative justice can take place only where the offender admits responsibility and both the victim and offender have both been assessed as fully able, consenting and willing to engage in a restorative process.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he made to the RSPCA after paragraph 96 of the Adult Court Bench Book was amended in 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The Adult Court Bench Book is produced by the Judicial College to provide general guidance and information to magistrates on law practice and procedure. No representations were made to the RSPCA in relation to the amendment to paragraph 96 of the Court Bench book.

Schools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of any material his Department has distributed to schools in the last five years.

Helen Grant: The Department has not produced any material for schools in the last five years. However if it is deemed necessary to do so in future, the Department will be happy to provide copies of materials for the Library.

Serco

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following amounts with Serco Group plc since the start of the 2008-09 financial year:
	
		
			 Financial year £(1) 
			 2008-09 (2)134,695,033.43 
			 2009-10 228,516,267.11 
			 2010-11 201,895,382.93 
			 2011-12 210,435,183.12 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 229,434,045.80 
			 (1 )Excluding VAT. (2) A number of Serco contracts did not come under the control of the Department until part way through 2008-09. 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice has a number of contracts with Serco which includes the management of five private prisons and the Electronic Monitoring Contract.

Shoplifting

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those sentenced for retail theft as of 21 May 2013 had more than (a) one, (b) two, (c) five and (d) 10 prior convictions.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the number of previous convictions of offenders who were sentenced for retail theft in England and Wales 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 Number of previous convictions of offenders who were sentenced for retail theft in England and Wales 2008 to 2012. 
			   Number of previous convictions 
			  Offenders convicted in each year 0 1 or more 2 or more 5 or more 10 or more 
			 2008 70,611 6,177 64,434 59,908 51,157 40,225 
			 2009 75,394 7,470 67,924 62,733 53,064 41,999 
			 2010 74,866 7,476 67,390 62,160 52,603 42,038 
			 2011 73,734 6,801 66,933 62,177 53,116 43,114 
			 2012 72,180 5,837 66,343 62,031 53,691 44,224 
			 Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	It should be noted that around 98% of offenders sentenced for retail theft are dealt with at a magistrates court, broadly indicating the lower levels of planning involved in the offences in question and the stolen goods typically being of a lower value. An increasing number of offences are carried out by re-offenders with five offences or more, which highlights the need for effective rehabilitation of those convicted. The Government is committed to strengthening sentences, so that they combine robust punishment with requirements that are effective at preventing further offending and which provide reparation to victims and communities. At a time when crime is falling we have increased the length and duration of curfews, given courts greater flexibility to impose programme and treatment requirements, and made the delivery of community payback swifter and more intensive.
	The data provided are based on the primary offence at each separate sentencing occasion and are based on sentenced occasions and not sentenced individuals which means an individual may appear more than once in each year in the data.
	Numbers of previous convictions are taken at the time the offender was sentenced for retail theft and are based on counting the number of previous occasions the offender was convicted for any offence. An offender may appear more than once in the figures if they have been sentenced for a number of separate retail theft offences over the period.
	A retail theft offence has been taken to include the following offence:
	Theft Act 1968 Sec. 1 Stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting)
	The Police National Computer (PNC) from which the figures are calculated came into existence in 2000, so data before 2000 are not available. In addition, the latest available figures are for the period up to and including December 2012. Figures about the criminal histories of offenders sentenced during the period January 2013 to March 2013 are due to be published on 22 August 2013.

Shoplifting

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many penalty notices were issued for retail theft of under £200 in each of the last five years; and how many notices were subsequently paid in full.

Jeremy Wright: The use of out of court disposals have decreased every year since their peak in 2007 and decreased by 42% since then. Similarly, the use of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND), for retail theft, peaked in 2009 and have since declined by 42%.
	The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued to persons aged 16 and over for retail theft of under £200 in each of the last five years and the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder paid in full can be viewed in the tables.
	
		
			 Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over for retail theft(1) under £200(2), with outcome, England and Wales, 2008 to 2012(3) 
			     Of those paid 
			  Number issued Total paid in full % Paid in full within 21 days % Paid in full outside 21 days % Paid in full—Timing unknown % 
			 2008 45,616 20,903 46 17,280 38 3,623 8 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 48,161 24,529 51 20,116 42 4,413 9 0 0 
			 2010 40,170 21,804 54 18,133 45 3,671 9 0 0 
			 2011 34,688 18,603 54 15,128 44 3,475 10 0 0 
			 2012 28,363 14,481 51 6,116 22 1,996 7 6,369 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Other outcomes 
			  Fine registered % Court hearing requested % PND cancelled % Potential prosecution % Outcome unknown % 
			 2008 23,090 51 189 0 881 2 540 1 13 0 
			 2009 20,166 42 163 0 1,026 2 2,198 5 79 0 
			 2010 15,468 39 128 0 906 2 1,704 4 160 0 
			 2011 13,442 39 133 0 890 2 1,476 4 144 0 
			 2012 8,260 29 35 0 670 2 365 1 4,552 16 
			 (1) Offence is a Notifiable offence included within OBTJ figures. (2) Penalty notices are no longer available for theft of goods valued at over £100 from July 2009 onwards. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Helen Grant: To provide the amounts spent on recruitment agency fees and outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff in each of the last 12 months will incur disproportionate cost as it will require examination of a substantial number of individual invoices over that period.
	Budgets for internal staff training are devolved and are managed locally by the Ministry's different business groups and agencies. The Ministry does not record this information centrally. Therefore to establish the expenditure on internal staff training in any given year would require a Ministry-wide survey of all its business areas. This would also incur a disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry is committed to providing training and education for all civil servants in line with the commitment set out in the Civil Service Reform Plan:
	“to provide at least five days a year targeted at the skills most needed for their roles”.
	Generic training is provided by Civil Service Learning, and external spend on learning and education is subject to the governance arrangements put in place by the Cabinet Office.
	For external training, the most recent data available shows that for the period between I June 2012 and 31 May 2013, the Department spent around £14.273 million. This amount is in relation to 6600 members of staff covering the Core Department and its executive agencies. Department and its executive agencies External training costs are those which are delivered outside of our internal resources with approval through the central Civil Service Learning arrangement. This can include professional training and training through academic bodies. External training providers are able to deliver specialist training which is sometimes not available internally. Externally procuring specialist training in this way is often more cost effective than developing training packages because the training is targeted to smaller groups.

Translation Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department saved through the contract for interpreters and translation services in (a) February 2012 and (b) May 2013;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department was of the contract for interpreters and translation services in (a) February 2012 and (b) May 2013.

Helen Grant: The overall annual savings under the contract during 2012-13 are estimated to be in excess of £15 million.
	I can confirm that the monthly expenditure under the Capita TI Language Services contract was £0.11 million for February 2012 and £1.2 million for May 2013.

Trials

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the annual costs to the court system of litigants in person.

Helen Grant: No assessment has been made of the annual costs to the court system of litigants in person.
	The Department has published a review of published research evidence on civil and family litigants in person, which found that the impact on case duration, a key driver of cost, was mixed. This research can be found online:
	A Literature Review by Kim Williams on LiPs
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litigants-in-person-a-literature-review

Trials

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts were awaiting trial on 1 January (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(2)  how many cases (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts received in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Helen Grant: The number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court and criminal cases outstanding in the magistrates courts in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 is provided in Table 1. This includes those awaiting trial and those who have pleaded or been found guilty and are awaiting sentence.
	The number of cases received in the Crown court and the number of criminal cases received in magistrates courts in England and Wales from 2010 to 2012 are presented in Table 2.
	Information on cases received and cases outstanding in the magistrates courts is management information which has recently been developed and is currently being validated. Some bulk applications, such as council tax, are sometimes counted as a single case. It is therefore not subject to the same level of checking as official statistics.
	
		
			 Table 1: The number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court and criminal cases in the magistrates courts outstanding in England and Wales, 2009 to 2012 
			  Total number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court at the end of each year(1) Total number of criminal cases outstanding in magistrates courts at the end of each year(1) 
			 2009 39,898 313,100 
			 2010 37,788 325,172 
			 2011 36,077 326,693 
			 2012 32,150 322,141 
			 (1 )Outstanding cases as at 31 December. (2 )Outstanding cases include those which have pleaded or been found guilty but are waiting to be sentenced. It also includes cases where a warrant has been issued for the defendant's arrest in magistrates court cases. Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service CREST system (Crown court) and Libra system (magistrates courts) 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: The total number of cases received in the Crown court and criminal cases in the magistrates courts, England and Wales, 2010 to 
			  Total number of cases received in the Crown court(1) Total number of criminal cases received in magistrates courts 2010 to 2012 
			 2010 152,336 1,856,403 
			 2011 148,250 1,790,111 
			 2012 133,371 1,680,191 
			 (1 )Receipts in the Crown court include committals direct from the magistrates courts, bench warrants executed (trial and sentence only) and cases transferred in, less cases transferred out. (2 )Receipts in the magistrates courts include cases transferred or remitted between courts which will be counted as receipts at both courts. Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service CREST system and Libra system (magistrates courts)

Young Offender Institutions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many governors (a) Feltham, (b) Ashfield, (c) Cookham Wood, (d) Downview, (e) Eastwood Park, (f) Hindley, (g) New Hall, (h) Parc, (i) Warren Hill, (j) Werrington and (k) Weatherby young offenders institutions has had in the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of Governing Governors or Directors there have been in each of the establishments between 31 March 2008 and 31 March 2013 is contained in the following table. Governing Governors is the term used in the public sector whereas in the private sector the senior manager in charge of an establishment is known as a Director. Across all public sector establishments the average tenure of a Governing Governor is now around three years and four months.
	
		
			 Number of Governing Governors/Directors Between 31 March 2008 and 31 March 2013 
			  Number of Governing Governors/Directors 
			 Feltham 1 
			 Ashfield 3 
			 Cookham Wood 3 
			 Downview 2 
			 Eastwood Park 3 
			 Hindley 2 
			 New Hall 3 
			 Parc 1 
			 Warren Hill 3 
			 Werrington 3 
			 Wetherby 2 
			 Note: Where the Deputy Governor temporarily steps up to cover the post they are not included.

Young Offender Institutions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) staff and (b) young offenders there were in (i) Feltham, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Cookham Wood, (iv) Downview, (v) Eastwood Park, (vi) Hindley, (vii) New Hall, (viii) Parc, (ix) Warren Hill, (x) Werrington and (xi) Weatherby young offenders institutions in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012 and (D) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the full-time equivalent staff in post and the number of young offenders in each of the establishments specified is contained in the following two tables. The staffing numbers provided refer to the entire establishment, even where it houses both young offenders and adults. Annual population data are reported as at 30 June. Population data for 30 June 2013 have not yet been published at the level of detail required in this question and are therefore not provided.
	
		
			 Table 1: Total staff in post (full-time equivalent) 30 June 2010, 2011 and 2012 
			  30 June 2010 30 June 2011 30 June 2012 
			 Feltham 700 680 660 
			 Ashfield 450 460 450 
			 Cookham Wood 210 220 220 
			 Downview 200 200 190 
			 Eastwood Park 250 250 240 
			 Hindley 410 410 390 
			 New Hall 360 350 350 
			 Parc(1) 60 70 70 
			 Warren Hill 220 230 240 
			 Warrington 170 170 180 
			 Wetherby 370 400 420 
			 (1) Staffing data refer only to the portion of the establishment housing young offenders. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Young offender (age 15 to 20) population 30 June 2010, 2011 and 2012 
			  30 June 2010 30 June 2011 30 June 2012 
			 Feltham 660 730 610 
			 Ashfield 280 360 230 
			 Cookham Wood 110 120 110 
			 Downview 40 30 30 
			 Eastwood Park 60 40 30 
			 Hindley 330 340 . 260 
			 New Hall 50 40 40 
			 Parc 350 300 240 
			 Warren Hill 180 120 140 
			 Werrington 130 150 140 
			 Wetherby 320 360 320 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

Young Offender Institutions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) education and (b) work places were available to young people in (i) Feltham, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Cookham Wood, (iv) Downview, (v) Eastwood Park, (vi) Hindley, (vii) New Hall, (viii) Parc, (ix) Warren Hill, (x) Werrington and (xi) Weatherby young offenders institutions in each month in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012 and (D) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: Each young offender institution is required to provide a programme of education, vocational training and other constructive activity, including work related learning, of 25 hours per week for every young person, according to their individual learning needs.

Young Offenders

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people currently held in the secure children’s estate are of no fixed abode.

Jeremy Wright: The Youth Justice Board collect data on individuals held in the youth secure estate, but information on home address and accommodation status is not mandatory.
	Youth offending teams have a duty to work with local authorities to ensure that all young people leaving custody are provided with appropriate accommodation on release. The Government has identified improving wider resettlement of young people (including appropriate accommodation) as a key priority.

Youth Custody

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which secure youth establishments have (a) been closed, (b) been decommissioned and (c) had their use altered, by capacity of establishment, since 1997.

Jeremy Wright: There has been a significant fall in the number of young people in custody and it makes sense to reduce capacity where places are not needed. However we will always ensure there are always places available for young people sentenced to custody by the courts.
	The Youth Justice Board commissions places in young offender institutions, secure training centres and secure children's homes to ensure there are sufficient places to meet the demand.
	Since April 2000, the YJB has fully withdrawn places commissioned for young people at the following young offenders institutions:
	
		
			 Establishment YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date 
			 Portland 130 
			 Brockhill 14 
			 Onley 240 
			 Bullwood Hall 30 
			 Woodhill 8 
			 Thorn Cross 60 
			 Lancaster Farms 240 
			 Brinsford 112 
			 Castington 168 
			 Huntercombe 270 
			 Foston Hall 16 
			 Stoke Heath 202 
			 Ashfield 360 
		
	
	Following the withdrawal of the Youth Justice Board from these establishments, all of the above places were handed back to the National Offender Management Service and subsequently used to hold prisoners aged 18 and over.
	On 2 July 2013 the YJB announced its full withdrawal from places commissioned for young people at the following young offenders institutions:
	
		
			 Establishment YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date 
			 Downview 16 
			 Eastwood Park 16 
			 New Hall 9 
		
	
	Secure children's homes are owned and operated by local authorities who make any decisions about use of places. Since 2000, the YJB has ceased to contract with secure children's homes at:
	
		
			 Secure children's home YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date 
			 Brunel 6 
			 Leverton 2 
			 Redsands 4 
			 Stoke House 4 
			 Briar's Hey 7 
			 Clare Lodge 8 
			 Dales House 8 
			 St John's Tiffield 8 
			 Stamford House 20 
			 Thornbury House 7 
			 Dyson House 16 
			 Orchard Lodge 16 
			 Sutton Place 8 
			 Atkinson 3 
			 Kyloe House 3 
		
	
	Information on changes in the under-18 estate prior to the Youth Justice Board commissioning the secure estate in 2000 is not available.

Youth Custody

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) capacity and (b) population of the secure youth estate was in each year since 1997.

Jeremy Wright: There has been a welcome and continued fall in the number of young people in custody. We always seek to reduce capacity and save money when places are not needed whilst ensuring that young people can continue to be placed safely.
	The following table shows the (a) average capacity and (b) average population of the youth secure estate in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2012-13 inclusive for the youth secure estate, (i) excluding 18-year-olds and (ii) including 18-year-olds that remain within the youth secure estate.
	
		
			  Average capacity (beds commissioned) Average secure estate population (under 18's) Average secure estate population (inc. 18-year-olds) 
			 2000-01 3,260 2,807 3,011 
			 2001-02 3,373 2,801 3,190 
			 2002-03 3,487 3,029 3,451 
			 2003-04 3,456 2,771 3,151 
			 2004-05 3,193 2,745 3,125 
			 2005-06 3,300 2,830 3,177 
			 2006-07 3,474 2,914 3,235 
			 2007-08 3,485 2,932 3,208 
			 2008-09 3,503 2,881 3,049 
			 2009-10 3,507 2,418 2,670 
			 2010-11 2,954 2,040 2,222 
			 2011-12 2,567 1,963 2,141 
			 2012-13(1) 2,491 (1)1,561 (1)1,727 
			 (1 )Population figures for 2012-13 are provisional, the 2012-13 figures will be finalised in the 2012-13 Youth Justice Statistics. Notes: 1. Data has not been collected by the Youth Justice Board for 1997-99 as the board only came into existence in 1998 and started data collection in 2000 2. The population figures are an average of 12 monthly snapshots of the custodial population, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end. 3. Population figures prior to 2012-13 reflect published data where available, however some data may not exactly match the published data due to different extraction times. 4. Please note that although the YJB is only responsible for placing 10 to 17-year-olds, young people aged over 17 remain in the youth secure estate if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve, to avoid disrupting their regimes 5. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. Sources: 1. The Average capacity (Beds commissioned) data is supplied by the Secure Accommodation Directorate at the Youth Justice Board. 2. The Average Secure Estate population (under 18's) data is from two sources. From 2000-01 to June 2012 the data is sourced from the Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS) database and from July 2012 the data is sourced from eAsset, 3. The data for Average Secure Estate Population (inc. 18-year-olds) data is from the Youth Justice Board's daily Unlock reports.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in dealing with cases of cruelty to or neglect of animals (a) at animal sanctuaries and (b) elsewhere.

David Heath: No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the “2006 Act”) specifically in relation to animal sanctuaries. However, the wider review of the 2006 Act in 2010 did not reveal any problems with its effectiveness in relation to animal sanctuaries or any other animal related activity.

Animal Welfare

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will make an assessment of the effect the economic downturn has had on animal charities and sanctuaries.

David Heath: There are no plans to carry out an assessment of the effect the economic downturn has had on animal charities and sanctuaries, although we are aware of the growing pressure on charities, in particular the horse welfare charities.

Animal Welfare

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number and type of animal sanctuaries in England;
	(2)  what definition of an animal sanctuary his Department uses.

David Heath: DEFRA does not hold information on the number or type of animal sanctuaries in England. There is no specific legal definition of an animal sanctuary.

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) England and (b) UK Overseas Territories in 2012-13;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) England and (b) the British Overseas Territories in 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: Details of DEFRA spend on biodiversity conservation in England in 2012-13 are provided in the following table. These figures represent DEFRA programme spend and spend by the wider DEFRA network but do not include staff costs. They also include total agri-environment scheme expenditure and the DEFRA biodiversity research programme, of which a major share is judged to be spent on biodiversity in England.
	
		
			 Estimated public expenditure by DEFRA network organisations on biodiversity conservation in England 
			 Area of spend Amount (£ million) 
			 DEFRA: Agri-environment schemes(1) 405.3 
			   
			 Other DEFRA expenditure:  
			 Biodiversity Programme(2) 1.9 
			 Biodiversity Evidence and Research(1) 7.0 
			   
			 Environment Agency 21.4 
			 Forestry Commission 23.3 
			 Natural England 26.5 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 3.3 
		
	
	
		
			 DEFRA network total(3) 488.7 
			 (1) Total scheme and research expenditure, consisting largely of work related to biodiversity in England. (2) Due to re-structuring of the budgets, the expenditure figure for the Biodiversity Programme is not directly comparable with estimates from previous years. (3) Totals may not add due to rounding. Note: Figures are provisional estimates pending finalisation of accounts. 
		
	
	Natural England spend in previous years included the general grant to areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), which is no longer reported in these estimates. However, both AONBs and national parks continue to spend part of their DEFRA funding on biodiversity conservation.
	DEFRA spend on biodiversity conservation in the British Overseas Territories in 2012-13 is estimated to be £1,562,054. This includes commitments under the Darwin initiative and support for projects to address invasive non-native species. It also includes spend by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It does not include spend by others, for example, the Governments of the Overseas Territories themselves, which are principally responsible for biodiversity conservation in their territories.

Biofuels

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many microgrammes of small particulates (PM2.5) per cubic metre of air he expects emissions from biomass combustion to add to the atmosphere in the UK in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2020.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 16 July 2013
	Biomass combustion is expected to increase due to measures under the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI).
	The emissions from biomass combustion funded under the non-domestic RHI have been modelled to contribute 0.035 microgrammes of small particulates (particulate matter up to 2.5 micrometres in size, or PM2.5) per cubic metre of air (ug/m(3)) to the 2020 population-weighted mean concentration of PM2.5 in the UK; this is net of the emissions from the fuels displaced by biomass. The total predicted population-weighted mean concentration of PM2.5 in 2020 excluding the RHI is 9.47 ug/m(3). There are no estimates currently available for 2012 or 2013; uptake of the RHI has been relatively low to date.
	The biomass uptake in the domestic RHI is targeted at off-gas grid users. Current modelling predicts that the majority is expected to replace coal or oil combustion and so slightly to reduce emissions and hence concentrations of PM2.5, unless current projections of uptake are greatly exceeded.

Birds of Prey

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 445-6W, on birds of prey, 
	(1)  in which (a) regions and (b) counties the two licences to remove buzzard nests to prevent serious damage to livestock were issued;
	(2)  which organisations or individuals were awarded licences to remove buzzard nests to prevent serious damage to livestock.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 16 July 2013
	Disclosure of this information is likely to breach the first data protection principle in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act, which relates to the fair and lawful processing of personal data. Releasing this data could lead to retaliatory action against the licensees and in light of this, I do not consider it would be in the public interest to disclose this information.

British Overseas Territories

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Overseas Territories entrench the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals into their respective legislation.

Richard Benyon: UK practice is that treaties are only extended to Overseas Territories if the territories request extension. Environment is an issue devolved to Territory Governments and it is for each Overseas Territory to decide how to deliver any obligations arising from Multilateral Environmental Agreements that have been extended to it.
	If an Overseas Territory considers the Convention on Migratory Species to be of relevance, we will work with that Territory to extend the Convention to it.

British Overseas Territories

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes if a UK Overseas Territory is in contravention of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Richard Benyon: Environment is an issue devolved to Territory Governments. Where the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals has been extended to a UK Overseas Territory it is the responsibility of that Territory to decide how to deliver any obligations arising from it. If requested we will work with the Territories to which the Convention has been extended to help them meet their obligations.

Devolution

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library any concordats which his Department or the public bodies for which he is responsible have with the devolved Administrations.

Richard Benyon: The Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and Supplementary Agreements, agreed in September 2012, set out principles which underlie the relationship between the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are currently available in the Library of the House.
	DEFRA and the public bodies for which it is responsible have in addition agreed the bilateral concordats listed as follow for handling of procedural, practical or policy matters with counterparts in the devolved Administrations. Copies of the documents will be placed in the Library:
	Concordat on animal health and welfare matters between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers.
	Marine Management Concordat between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Executive.
	A subject specific Concordat between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Marine Scotland, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland) on Management Arrangements for Fishing Opportunities and Fishing Vessel Licensing in the United Kingdom.
	Concordat on the Implementation of Directive 2001/18EC and Regulation 1946/2003/EC on genetically modified organisms, between the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Executive and the UK Government.
	DEFRA and the public bodies for which it is responsible also have a number of detailed MoUs, Service Level Agreements and other documents setting out joint working with the devolved Administrations.

Flood Control

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for flood defences in each of the next four years.

Richard Benyon: The table shows how much funding has been allocated for flood defences in each of the next four years.
	The allocation for the revenue spend beyond 2014-15 has not yet been finalised although there will be an additional £5 million provided for the Environment Agency in 2015-16 to carry out maintenance of flood defence assets.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  DEFRA Funding for flood defences 
			  Revenue incl maintenance Capital Total 
			 2013-14 239 294 533 
			 2014-15 226 344 570 
			 2015-16 — 370 — 
			 2016-17 — 377 —

Food: Waste

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage households to reduce food waste.

Richard Benyon: The Government funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is working with consumers to help them save money and reduce household food waste. WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign offers information and ideas on reducing food waste. Under the voluntary Courtauld Commitment, we have encouraged industry to adopt innovations that benefit consumers, such as re-sealable salad bags, re-sealable baked bean jars, leftovers recipe ideas and the production of smaller sized loaves of bread to suit smaller households. We also clarified date labelling guidance in 2011 to make labels clearer so that people are more confident about what they mean and how long food is safe to eat.

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Richard Benyon: This table sets out spend by core DEFRA on contracts with Grant Thornton in each financial year from 2008-09 up to 30 June 2013 in the current year.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 128,964 
			 2013-14 (to 30 June) 85,320

Hydroelectric Power

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the Environment Agency is continuing to pass applications for small-scale hydro schemes while it is still in the process of gathering evidence as to the environmental impact of such schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency continues to consider permit applications for hydropower schemes on the basis of its Good Practice Guidelines for hydropower published in 2009. This guidance was based on best available knowledge and evidence, and provides a sound basis for ensuring that small-scale hydropower schemes are designed with measures in place to protect the local environment.
	The guidance is currently under review. The Environment Agency is gathering evidence to inform this review. Until the review is complete the current guidance will be used to assess applications.

Recycling: Plastics

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to boost the recycling of (a) plastic films and (b) black plastics.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is supporting work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to boost recycling of these materials.
	The front of store recycling work being undertaken by WRAP has led to a significant increase in the number of stores collecting plastic film. This packaging can currently be returned for recycling at a number of major supermarket outlets, and indications are that this will be rolled out more widely.
	WRAP is also working closely with representatives from across the plastics supply chain to promote the recycling of film and will provide guidance for local authorities that wish to improve their film collections shortly. The British Plastics Federation Recycling Group is also looking at promoting film recycling.
	Conventional black plastics packaging cannot be sorted by plastics recyclers due to the nature of the carbon pigment. WRAP has undertaken trials using other pigment which looks black to the eye, but can be used by plastic sorters and re-processors, and is acceptable by brands and retailers. WRAP is also due to publish work which has been examining the end market opportunities that could be available for this material. Once this is published, WRAP will be working with the plastics packaging supply chain to get this initiative adopted.

Recycling: Plastics

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department is making in its efforts to meet plastics recycling targets.

Richard Benyon: The plastics recycling targets are part of a producer responsibility regime and it is a matter for industry to meet them.
	Representatives from across the plastics supply chain, facilitated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, are developing a Plastics Industry Action Plan to ensure the necessary actions are taken forward to deliver the plastic packaging recycling targets by 2017.
	DEFRA is planning to introduce new regulations before the end of the year which will require material recovery facilities to measure the quality of the input and output of the materials including plastics. This will help improve the way the recyclate market operates by increasing transparency.

Recycling: Plastics

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will next review PRN/PERN policy.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are currently undertaking a review of the producer responsibility regimes to improve the coherence between the different regulations, and to reduce burdens on businesses which have to deal with more than one regime.
	A consultation on amendments to the packaging regulations, which will take forward the ‘coherence issues’ and other specific packaging-related issues, is planned for this autumn. As part of the process, we will be considering whether improvements might usefully be made to the packaging recovery note/packaging export recovery note system.

Recycling: Plastics

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to increase public awareness of plastics recycling in the UK.

Richard Benyon: Representatives from across the plastics supply chain, facilitated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, are developing a Plastics Industry Action plan to ensure the necessary actions are taken forward to deliver the plastic recycling target by 2017. One element of the action plan is a communications initiative to increase public awareness of the importance of plastics recycling.

Recycling: Plastics

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the export of plastics recyclate from the UK on the domestic plastics recycling market and the wider UK economy.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not made an assessment of the effect of the export of plastic recyclate on the domestic market and wider UK economy.
	There is a legitimate global trade in waste, which can be good for the environment and business. Movements of waste to and from the UK are subject to the requirements of the waste shipments regulation. This allows the export of recyclate as long as it is not contaminated to the extent that it could not be managed in an environmentally sound manner in the destination country.

Rural Areas: Affordable Housing

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the need for more affordable housing in rural areas.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA Ministers have regular contact with their counterparts in DCLG on a range of issues. DEFRA officials continue to work closely with DCLG colleagues on housing policy.

Water Companies: Corporation Tax

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will have discussions with OFWAT about requiring water and sewerage companies to disclose their level of corporation tax payments; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: All water and sewerage companies and water only companies are obliged under their licences to publish their accounts, including the level of corporation tax paid, on their websites by 15 July each year.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many answers by his Department to Parliamentary Questions involving tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were (a) printed in full and (b) provided via a link to a website in the last year;
	(2)  what guidance his Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to Parliamentary Questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a link to a website and (c) deposited in the Library.

Richard Benyon: Information on how statistics have been presented within answers to parliamentary questions is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	DEFRA aims to provide clear and concise answers to parliamentary questions, and provides statistics and other supplementary information in the most appropriate format, guided by the Cabinet Office advice, which is itself available online:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
	The guidelines advise that:
	“Where an answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Libraries of the House. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.”

CABINET OFFICE

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships the Prime Minister's Office offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010;
	(3)  what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies;
	(4)  what strategies the Prime Minister has to create apprenticeships in his Office; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The number of apprentices taken on by the Cabinet Office, including the Prime Minister's office, is as follows. Due to the small numbers involved we have not broken this down by age:
	
		
			 Financial year Total 
			 2009-10 <5 
			 2010-11 6 
			 2011-12 11 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 15 
		
	
	The Government launched its Fast Track Apprenticeships Scheme on 15 April, as part of its wider programme of civil service reform. The scheme is designed to support 18 to 21-year-olds who have chosen not to go to university, but who have the skills and potential to support the civil service in delivering exceptional public services. A range of Government Departments are taking part in the pilot of the scheme, with 100 places initially being made available. In due course, the scheme will grow to 500 places to match the existing Graduate Fast Stream programme.

Arts: Staff

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the creative industries in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking the number of people employed in the creative industries in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.
	Annual employment statistics from 2008 onwards are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 contains estimates of the number employed in businesses considered to be part of the creative industry for the areas requested between 2008 and 2011. Estimates for Great Britain have been given instead of the UK, as UK information is not readily available for these breakdowns. Employment information prior to 2008 is available from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), but the ABI cannot provide the breakdowns required to answer this question. Employment information for 2012 will be published in September 2013.
	A full list of the industry codes (Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007) are also provided in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1—Employment in the creative industries for specified geographies: 2008-2011 
			 Area 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Glasgow Central constituency 11,300 11,000 10,000 9,200 
			 Glasgow East constituency 300 300 400 300 
			 Glasgow North constituency 700 700 700 600 
			 Glasgow North East constituency 400 500 300 200 
			 Glasgow North West constituency 200 100 100 100 
			 Glasgow South constituency 100 100 200 100 
			 Glasgow South West constituency 500 500 500 500 
			 Glasgow City local authority 13,500 13,300 12,100 10,900 
			 Scotland 47,600 42,400 40,200 33,100 
		
	
	
		
			 Great Britain 683,600 664,800 660,900 651,600 
			 Notes: 1. Cells containing an asterisk (*) represent disclosive data that cannot be published. 2. Figures haw been rounded to the nearest 100 3. There is a small discontinuity between the 2008 and 2009 results due to a difference in the way that directors of limited companies are treated in the results. The creative industries are defined here as comprising of the following industries taken from the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 and defined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS): 73110: Advertising agencies 73120: Media representation 71111: Architectural activities 71112: Urban planning and landscape architectural activities 47781: Retail sale in commercial art galleries 47791: Retail sale of antiques including antique books, in stores 14110: Manufacture of leather clothes 14120: Manufacture of workwear 14131: Manufacture of men's outerwear, other than leather clothes and workwear 14132: Manufacture of women's outerwear, other than leather clothes and workwear 14141: Manufacture of men's underwear 14142: Manufacture of women's underwear 14190: Manufacture of other wearing apparel and accessories 14200: Manufacture of articles of fur 14310: Manufacture of knitted and crocheted hosiery 14390: Manufacture of other knitted and crocheted apparel 15120: Manufacture of luggage, handbags and the like, saddlery and harness 15200: Manufacture of footwear 74100: Specialised design activities 74201: Portrait photographic activities 74202: Other specialist photography (not including portrait photography) 74203: Film processing 74209: Other photographic activities (not including portrait and other specialist photography and film processing) not elsewhere covered 90010: Performing arts 90020: Support activities to performing arts 90030: Artistic creation 90040: Operation of arts facilities 78101: Motion picture, television and other theatrical casting 63910: News agency activities 18110: Printing of newspapers 18130: Pre-press and pre-media services 18201: Reproduction of sound recording 18202: Reproduction of video recording 18203: Reproduction of computer media 58110: Book publishing 58130: Publishing of newspapers 58141: Publishing of learned journals 58142: Publishing of consumer, business and professional journals and periodicals 58190: Other publishing activities 58210: Publishing of computer games 58290: Other software publishing 62011: Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development 60100: Radio broadcasting 60200: Television programming and broadcasting activities 59111: Motion picture production activities 59112: Video production activities 59113: Television programme production activities 59120: Motion picture, video and television programme post-production activities 59131: Motion picture distribution activities 59132: Video distribution activities 59133: Television programme distribution activities 59140: Motion picture projection activities 59200: Sound recording and music publishing activities

Government Departments: Information

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department provides on the format of data published by Government.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office guidance is that data should be machine readable and available under an open government licence. Amendments to Section 45 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will come into force later this summer:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45
	This means that public authorities must publish datasets for reuse and, where practicable, in a reusable format.

Immigration

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of immigration to the UK was from (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU countries in (i) 2005, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of immigration to the UK was from (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU countries in (i) 2005, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2012.
	ONS produces estimates of Long-Term International Migration (LTIM), primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by ONS and is the prime source of long-term international migration data for the UK providing estimates of both inflows and outflows. LTIM is the only series able to provide single year UK immigration estimates and to separate EU and non-EU countries.
	Table 1 shows estimates of immigration to the UK, based on country of last residence, for EU and non-EU countries for the year ending December 2005 and the year ending December 2010. Data for the year ending December 2012 will be published on 28th November 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: LTIM immigration estimates to the UK, by country of last residence, for EU and non-EU countries 
			  EU countries Non-EU countries 
			 Year ending December 2005 186,000 381,000 
			 Year ending December 2010 208,000 383,000 
			 Source: ONS http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/long-term-international-migration/2011/2-02-ltim-country-of-last-or-next-residence--1991-2011.xls 
		
	
	LTIM provisional estimates of immigration by citizenship, including an EU and non-EU breakdown for the year ending September 2012 have been published and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/may-2013/provisional-long-term-international-migration--ltim--estimates-sep-2012.xls
	Revised net migration, immigration and emigration figures have been published as components of change in revised mid-year population estimates from the year to mid-2002 to the year to mid-2010 for England and Wales. These take into account the results from the 2011 Census, and included a revision to the net migration component, focussed primarily on the middle part of the decade before improvements were made to the International Passenger Survey in 2009. This is explained in a report published in December 2012. Table 7 of that report shows the differences between LTIM and the revised net migration component.
	http://ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/population-and-migration/population-statistics-research-unit--psru-/methods-used-to-revise-the-national-population-estimates-for-mid-2002-to-mid-2010.pdf
	ONS plans to publish a further analytical report in Autumn 2013 that will further explain the differences between LTIM and the net migration component of the revised population estimates series.

Moira Wallace

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2013, Official Report, column 403W, on Moira Wallace 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of how long it will take for the costs of Miss Wallace's severance payment to be recouped;
	(2)  what procedure is in place to allow his Department and HM Treasury to agree on severance payments to civil servants;
	(3)  if he will list the specific rules in the reformed Civil Service Compensation Scheme that Miss Wallace's severance payment was judged against;
	(4)  what criteria is used in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme to decide on a permissible severance deal;
	(5)  what provision there is for clawback of money if an individual has already accepted another form of employment, outside of the civil service, when they leave their position.

Francis Maude: The terms of exit schemes made under the reformed Civil Service Compensation Scheme are approved by Cabinet Office, in consultation with the Treasury where necessary, under the spending controls regime operated by the Cabinet Office.
	The exit package for the former Permanent Secretary at the Department of Energy and Climate Change was within the rules of Section 12 of the reformed Civil Service Compensation Scheme. The scheme was laid before Parliament in December 2010 and copies are available in the Library of the House.

Music: Staff

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the music industry in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking the number of people employed in the music industry in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.
	Annual employment statistics from.2008 onwards are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 below contains estimates of the number employed in businesses considered to be part of the music industry for the areas requested between 2008 and 2011. Estimates for Great Britain have been given instead of the UK, as UK information is not readily available for these breakdowns. Employment information prior to 2008 is available from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), but the ABI cannot provide the breakdowns required to answer this question. Employment information for 2012 will be published in September 2013.
	The music industry has been defined as comprising of the following industries taken from the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007:
	18.20/1—Reproduction of sound recording
	46.43/1—Wholesale of gramophone records, audio tapes, compact discs and video tapes and of the equipment on which these are played
	47.63—Retail sale of music and video recordings in specialised stores
	59.20—Sound recording and music publishing activities
	
		
			 Table 1: Employment in the music industry for specified geographies: 2008 to 2011 
			 Area 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Glasgow Central constituency 100 200 200 100 
			 Glasgow East constituency * * * * 
			 Glasgow North constituency 0 0 0 0 
			 Glasgow North East constituency * * * * 
			 Glasgow North West constituency 0 0 * * 
		
	
	
		
			 Glasgow South constituency * * 0 0 
			 Glasgow South West constituency * * 100 * 
			 Glasgow City local authority 200 300 300 200 
			 Scotland 800 900 1,000 700 
			 Great Britain 24,700 20,400 18,000 19,000 
			 Notes: 1. Cells containing an asterisk (*) represent disclosive data that cannot be published. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 3. There is a small discontinuity between the 2008 and 2009 results due to a difference in the way that directors of limited companies are treated in the results. 
		
	
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what strategies she has to create apprenticeships in her Department; and what plans she has to promote such strategies.

Hugh Robertson: The Department is committed to supporting opportunities for young people through the new Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeships scheme, which is currently being piloted. DCMS plans to take part by offering placements on this scheme, once further details are announced after the initial pilot, which commences in the autumn. By taking part in a scheme, run centrally through Civil Service Learning, the Department can ensure that the scheme is promoted more widely. Apprenticeships feature as part of the Department's talent and resourcing strategies.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, except for buildings constructed for the 2012 London Olympics in each of the last three financial years.

Hugh Robertson: The following table sets out the amounts the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent on properties, in central London, in the last three financial years in totals. This year's projected expenditure is expected to be approximately £5 million, in keeping with the need to seek out economies and efficiencies, one of the reasons why the Department has relocated to 100 Parliament street. The data, building by building, cannot be retrieved, without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Total spent on property (£000) 
			 2010-11 8,533 
			 2011-12 8,437 
			 2012-13 7,862 
		
	
	Background
	The buildings in central London that the Department has paid rent/utilities on in the period of the question are:
	2-4 Cockspur street
	Oceanic House, Cockspur street
	Tottenham Court road,
	Grove House, Orange street.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much her Department has spent in total on external legal advice from Queen's Counsels (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(2)  what the 20 largest amounts paid for external legal advice by her Department was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom they were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought;
	(3)  what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by her Department has been since 7 May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not hold information on the breakdown of external legal advice, in a format that would allow this information to be provided, without incurring disproportionate costs.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent in total on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Hugh Robertson: The Department has spent the following amounts on external legal advice.
	
		
			 Account description From To Total amount (£) 
			 External legal advice 7 May 2010 4 September 2012 1,683,494 
			  5 September 2012 30 June 2013 1,232,620

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland of 2 July 2013.

Edward Vaizey: I hope to be able to reply to the hon. Lady shortly.

Northcote House

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department used the facilities at Northcote House, Sunningdale Park, Berkshire in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS, which includes the GEO, uses a variety of locations for training and conference purposes. However the department does not hold data in such a way as to identify the specific information requested.

Personnel Management

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in her Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of her Department's human resources functions was.

Hugh Robertson: The number of officials in the Department employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Number of Officials Employed in Human Resource Functions 12 15 13 13 13 
			       
			 Grades Staff Employed      
			 AA/AO (1)n/a 6 3 2 2 
			 EO (1)n/a 2 4 3 3 
			 HEO/SEO (1)n/a 3 2 3 3 
			 G7 (1)n/a 3 2 3 3 
			 G6 (1)n/a — 1 1 1 
			 SCS1 (1)n/a 1 1 1 1 
			  0 15 13 13 13 
			 (1) Records not held. 
		
	
	These figures represent the maximum number of individual employees in the HR function over the given periods. As part of the Department's administrative cuts of 50%, and in line with cross-Government cost cutting measures, the human resources function has been reduced and is currently at seven.
	The total employment costs of the Department's human resources functions in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Total cost of human resources function (£) 
			 2008-09 651,753.45 
			 2009-10 390,987.64 
			 2010-11 567,941.61 
			 2011-12 499,951.95 
			 2012-13 443,133.99

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the minimum statutory requirement is for a local authority library service; what the derivation is of that requirement; what guidance she has issued to local authorities on compliance with the minimum statutory requirement; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 27 June 2013
	The 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act does not seek to be overly prescriptive but instead anchors the delivery of a local service to the needs of the local community. As the hon. Member is aware, Public Library Standards were wound up as part of the Governments wider reform of local authority performance indicators in 2008. A 'comprehensive and efficient' library service represents the balance to be struck by each local authority in meeting local needs within the context of available resources in a way which is appropriate to the Identified needs of the communities they serve. Each local authority has an intimate knowledge of local conditions and needs and has direct democratic accountability to the local population.
	The Department re-circulated in March 2013 the three pieces of correspondence from the Minister for Culture and Secretary of State to library authorities drawing attention to their responsibilities in delivering a comprehensive and efficient library service.

Redundancy Pay

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many senior civil servants left her Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was.

Hugh Robertson: Table 1 shows the number of senior civil servants who left DCMS under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last three financial years and Table 2 the value of such payments by cost band.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Financial year Number of leavers in senior civil service grades 
			 2010-11 8 
			 2011-12 3 
			 2012 -13 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Cost band of such payments 2010-11 2011-2012 2012 - 2013 
			 <£10,000 — — — 
			 £10,000 to £25,000 — — — 
			 £25,000 to £50,000 2 — — 
			 £50,000 to £100,000 1 — — 
			 £100,000 to £150,000 4 1 — 
			 £150,000 to £200,000 1 2 2 
			 £200,000 to £250,000 — — 1 
		
	
	As part of a money saving exercise, in line with the rest of Government, DCMS has been offering, in cyclical phases, the opportunity for civil servants to take voluntary redundancy. The Department does not hold central records for our bodies. Figures for the Government Equalities Office, which joined DCMS in September 2012, are held by the Home office, its previous parent Department.

Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the title is of each regulation her Department (a) introduced and (b) revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The following list sets out the title of each statutory instrument made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in respect of the requested years. The machinery of government change brought the Government Equalities Office (GEO) under control of the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in September 2012. This list also covers the period when GEO was under the control of the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
	None of these statutory instruments has been revoked in its entirety. There may be amendments and revocations in force to the provisions contained within them but there is no central record of what provisions may have been modified and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	2010
	Apportionment of Money in the National Lottery Distribution Fund Order 2010
	Audiovisual Media Services (Codification) Regulations 2010
	Audiovisual Media Services (Product Placement) Regulations 2010
	Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2010
	Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
	Communications Act 2003 (Disclosure of Information) Order 2010
	Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2010
	Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (England) (Amendment) Order 2010
	Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (England) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2010/1966
	Equality Act 2010 (Consequential Amendments, Saving and Supplementary Provisions) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Qualifying Compromise Contract Specified Person) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Obtaining Information) Order 2010/2194
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 4, Savings, Consequential, Transitional, Transitory and Incidental Provisions and Revocation) Order 2010
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 4, Savings, Consequential, Transitional, Transitory and Incidental Provisions and Revocation) Order 2010 (Amendment) Order 2010
	Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2010
	Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
	Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) Act 2009 (Commencement) Order 2010
	Legislative Reform (Licensing) (Interim Authority Notices etc) Order 2010
	Licensing Act 2003 (Premises licences and permitted temporary activities) (Forms and notices) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
	National Lottery (Annual Licence Fees) Regulations 2010
	National Lottery Act 2006 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2010
	Olympics, Paralympics and London Olympics Association Rights (Infringement Proceedings) Regulations 2010
	Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces (Amendment) (No. 2) etc Regulations 2010
	Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces (Amendment) etc Regulations 2010
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 2) Order 2010
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 3) Order 2010
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2010
	Welsh Language (Gambling and Licensing Forms) Regulations 2010
	2011
	Categories of Gaming Machine (Amendment) Regulations 2011
	Code of Practice for Electronic Programme Guides (Addition of Programme Services) Order 2011
	Communications Act 2003 (Maximum Penalty for Contravention of Information Requirements) Order 2011
	Digital Economy Act 2010 (Appointed Day No. 1) Order 2011
	Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Act 2007 (Prescription of Information) (Amendment) Order 2011
	Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2011
	Electronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy Regulations 2011
	Equality Act 2010 Codes of Practice (Services, Public Functions and Associations, Employment, and Equal Pay) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 6) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 7) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 8) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Public Authorities and Consequential and Supplementary Amendments) Order 2011
	Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011
	Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2011
	Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Machines in Adult Gaming Centres and Bingo Premises) Order 2011
	Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2011
	Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Appointed Day) Order 2011
	Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2011
	Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2011
	London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Advertising and Trading) (England) Regulations 2011
	Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2011
	Media Ownership (Radio and Cross-media) Order 2011
	Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) (Revocation) Order 2011
	National Lottery etc Act 1993 (Amendment of Section 23) Order 2011
	Natural History Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 2011
	Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 2) Order 2011
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 3) Order 2011
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 4) Order 2011
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 5) Order 2011
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2011
	Sports Grounds Safety Authority Act 2011 (Commencement) Order 2011
	Transfer of Functions (Big Lottery Fund) Order 2011 (Order in Council)
	Wireless Telegraphy (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 2011
	2012
	Broadcasting (Local Digital Television Programme Services and Independent Productions) (Amendment) Order 2012
	Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Overseas Relationships) Order 2012
	Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Dissolution) Order 2012
	Digital Economy Act 2010 (Appointed Day No. 2) Order 2012
	Digital Economy Act 2010 (Appointed Day No. 3) Order 2012
	Digital Economy Act 2010 (Transitional Provision) Regulations 2012
	Equality Act 2010 (Age Exceptions) Order 2012
	Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Order 2012
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 9) Order 2012
	Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 10) Order 2012
	Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2012
	Gambling (Licence Fees) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012
	Gambling (Operating Licence and Single-Machine Permit Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2012
	Gambling Act 2005 (Amendment of Schedule 6) Order 2012
	Licensing Act 2003 (Personal licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2012
	Live Music Act 2012 (Commencement) Order 2012
	Local Digital Television Programme Services Order 2012
	Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) (No. 2) Order 2012
	Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) Order 2012
	Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) (No. 2) Order 2012
	Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) Order 2012
	Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012
	Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces (Amendment) Regulations 2012
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No. 2) Order 2012
	Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2012
	Video Recordings (Labelling) Regulations 2012
	Wireless Telegraphy (Control of Interference from Apparatus) (The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) Regulations 2012
	Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to Ofcom) Order 2012
	2013
	Authorisation of Frequency Use for the Provision of Mobile Satellite Services (European Union) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
	Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
	Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2013
	Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013
	Licensing Act 2003 (Descriptions of Entertainment) (Amendment) Order 2013
	Mobile Roaming (European Communities) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
	New Parks for People (England) Joint Scheme (Authorisation) Order 2013
	Olympic Lottery Distributor (Dissolution) Order 2013
	Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) Order 2013

Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many days on average staff of her Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: The number of days on average staff in DCMS, in each pay grade, were absent from work, as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Average working days lost 
			  2012 2013 
			 Grade July August September October November December January February March April May June 
			 D 0.14 0.16 0.12 0.25 0.53 0.29 0.33 0.08 0.04 0.41 0.12 0.86 
			 C 0.15 0.11 0.02 0.21 0.58 0.49 0.65 0.76 0.47 0.77 0.60 0.06 
			 B 0.22 0.28 0.41 0.56 0.23 0.33 0.28 0.30 0.12 0.22 0.43 0.25 
			 HEOD — — — — — — — — 0.28 3.97 — — 
			 A 0.25 0.22 0.20 0.21 0.37 0.07 0.28 0.22 0.06 0.09 0.15 0.31 
			 AU — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 SCS — — 0.21 0.42 0.03 0.10 0.24 0.03 0.07 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 0.23 0.25 0.27 0.39 0.35 0.28 0.40 0.38 0.25 0.44 0.40 0.28 
		
	
	DCMS is committed to the health and welfare of its staff, helping staff to stay healthy and reducing the need for sick leave. Support is provided to staff returning from long-term sick leave, referring them to Occupational Health to advise on how best to facilitate a return to work and offering access to an Employee Assistance Programme, for independent advice and support.

Sports: Children

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with relevant bodies on increasing participation in under-subscribed sports for 5 to 16 year olds;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education about increasing participation in sports in schools;
	(3)  what plans she has to increase participation in sports by children outside school hours.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS is working with a wide range of partners, including the Department of Health, the Department for Education, Sport England, the Association for Physical Education, the Youth Sport Trust and ParalympicsGB, on a number of programmes designed to increase participation in sport for all school children, no matter their age, gender or ability. These programmes include the Sainsbury's School Games, the recently announced school sport premium, Sportivate and community satellite clubs.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Hugh Robertson: The Department has five Ministers, who travel to a range of local, regional and international events from UN meetings and International Olympic committee meetings, to 2014 Commonwealth Games planning sessions in Glasgow and meetings at regional theatres. Mindful of the need to seek economies and efficiencies, the overall budgetary allocation for fulfilling this aspect of departmental business is £126,000, down from £394,000 in 2008-09. Budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 have not yet been agreed.
	
		
			 Ministerial travel cost 2008-13 
			  £ 
			 2008-09 394,202 
			 2009-10 386,851 
			 2010-11 116,436 
			 2011-12 66,534 
			 2012-13 122,931

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has a current Welsh Language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS has had a Welsh Language scheme since 2007. The Department will shortly be providing an annual report, to the Welsh Language Commissioner, regarding compliance with the scheme. DCMS remains committed to ensuring that it is accessible for UK citizens, who speak Welsh and who wish to communicate in Welsh, regarding issues relating to Culture, Sport and Tourism.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many ambulances based in Herefordshire responded to calls in (a) Herefordshire, (b) other counties in England and (c) Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many English ambulances responded to calls in Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not routinely collected centrally.

Ambulance Services: Wales

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Welsh ambulances responded to calls in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: Health in Wales is a devolved matter. The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010;
	(2)  what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Daniel Poulter: The Department offers apprenticeships in two ways - appointing apprentices through external recruitment and by offering existing staff access to apprenticeship programmes as part of their learning and development.
	Since 2010, the Department has recruited three apprentices, aged 16-18, as part of a national apprenticeship scheme. All three commenced their apprenticeships in 2010 and on successful completion secured permanent full time roles in the Department in January 2012.
	The Department has also offered an internal apprenticeship programme for its existing staff. In 2010-11, six staff successfully completed the Level 2 Personal Assistant development programme. This was open to all staff and age was not part of the eligibility criteria and therefore the Department did not collect this information.
	The Department will review its apprenticeship strategy after the current Department of Health Transition Programme changes have fully embedded in the newly established Department.

Cancer

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent five-year cancer survival rates are in each primary care trust.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Health asking what the most recent five-year cancer survival rates are in each Primary Care Trust.
	Five-year cancer survival estimates for the former primary care trusts (PCTs) are not available. However, one-year estimates are available, in the form of a survival index for all cancers combined. The survival index is adjusted for differences in the profile of cancer patients by age, sex and type of cancer between PCTs. The most recent estimates available are for patients diagnosed during 1996-2010 and followed up to 31 December 2011. These figures are available on the National Statistics website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/combined-cancer-survival-by-primary-care-trusts/index.html
	ONS publishes one- and five-year cancer net survival estimates for adults (aged 15 to 99 years) in England, for 21 common cancers. The latest published figures are for adults diagnosed during 2006-2010 and followed up to 2011. These figures are available on the National Statistics website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival/index.html
	ONS also publishes figures on geographic patterns of cancer survival. These figures contain one- and five-year net survival estimates for regions, and the former strategic health authorities and cancer networks, for eight common cancers. The latest published figures are for adults followed up to 2011. These figures are available on the National Statistics website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival-by-gor--sha-and-cancer-network/index.html

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Daniel Poulter: The Government is determined to improve value for money on departmental expenditure. The amount spent on management consultancy services has fallen dramatically. In 2008-09, expenditure was £107 million and in 2012-13 the figure was £5 million.
	The Department's spend for all financial years from 2008-09 to 2011-12 on contracts with Grant Thornton is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Grant Thornton Ltd 
			  £ 
			 2008-09 290,392 
			 2009-10 85,269 
			 2010-11 513,449 
			 2011-12 1,111,195 
			 2012-13 1,005,568 
			 Source: Department of Health Business Management System

Heart Diseases

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all advisers and decision-makers involved within the decision-making process are representative of all regions and units;
	(2)  if he will commission further capacity analysis to consider patient flows as part of the new congenital cardiac review;
	(3)  if he will commission further capacity analysis to consider more recent and predicted increases in activity and population growth and take such analysis into account in the new congenital cardiac review;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to ensure that assessments are correct and that individual units will be given proper scope to respond, prior to publication of the congenital cardiac review;
	(5)  what steps he is taking to ensure that population density, geography and transport links are taken into consideration in the scope of the new congenital cardiac review.

Anna Soubry: NHS England, as the body responsible for commissioning specialised congenital heart services, is responsible for taking forward the new national review of these services.
	NHS England has published a paper on the review which is available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/180713-item13.pdf
	It outlines early thinking on the way forward and will be considered at its board meeting on 18 July.
	We are advised by NHS England that there will be opportunities for all stakeholders to participate in the review, including all current providers of congenital cardiac services. NHS England will obtain analytical and other advice to support its review process, including where necessary updates of existing analysis.
	NHS England is committed to wide and ongoing engagement. On 21 June, its officials met the senior leaders of all those centres currently providing children's congenital heart surgery to discuss the review and their engagement in the process.

Medical Equipment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of items of nursing equipment and aids to daily living provided for temporary use by discharged patients that were not returned in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many items of nursing equipment and aids to daily living provided for temporary use by discharged patients were not recovered in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how much was spent on providing items of nursing equipment and aids to daily living for temporary use by discharged patients in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected centrally.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to reply to the letter to him dated 16 May 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Simon Keppie.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), replied to the right hon. Member's letter of 16 May 2013 on 7 June 2013.

Multiple Sclerosis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve treatment rates for multiple sclerosis.

Norman Lamb: We want to make the national health services among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
	Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England. The Department’s NHS Outcomes Framework and Mandate outline the improvements in health and health care that we envisage the NHS achieving. This includes enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions through the provision of high quality, efficient and fair services.
	There are a wide range of treatment options available for people with MS.
	Clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provide recommendations on the appropriate treatment for, and care of, people with multiple sclerosis. Since NICE’s publication of the clinical guideline on MS entitled Management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care in 2003, commissioners have considered these guidelines when commissioning services for their local populations.
	We have also asked NICE to include MS in the library of NICE quality standard topics.

NHS

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received since May 2010 from each of the 14 health trusts under investigation by Sir Bruce Keogh.

Daniel Poulter: Information is provided for each of the 14 trusts under investigation by Sir Bruce Keogh from the Department's ministerial correspondence unit and ministerial visits and meetings from Ministers Private Office Diaries and Visit Teams records.
	A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database was made of correspondence received between 1 May 2010 and 15 July 2013 from each of the 14 trusts under investigation by Sir Bruce Keogh. These are minimum figures which represent correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.
	A search of Private Office Diary records of visits and meetings was made between 1 May 2010 and 16 July 2013.
	Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—10
	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—5
	Ministerial visits:
	6 January 2012—Andrew Lansley visit to Blackpool Victoria Hospital
	13 December 2012—Dr Daniel Poulter visit to the Trust
	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—9
	Ministerial visits:
	10 May 2010—Earl Howe visit to Wycombe Hospital as part of the listening exercise
	14 December 2012—Earl Howe visit to Amersham Hospital
	Meetings:
	22 July 2010—Simon Burns had a meeting with Steve Barker MP regarding Wycombe Hospital meeting
	Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—10
	Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—22
	Ministerial visits:
	3 March 2011—Andrew Lansley visit to the Trust for the official opening of ICENI Centre
	2 March 2012—Simon Burns visit to Colchester Foundation Trust
	Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—8
	Ministerial visits:
	26 October 2010—Simon Burns visit to Russells Hall Hospital
	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—16
	Ministerial visits:
	18 June 2010—Andrew Lansley visit to Burnley General Hospital
	Meetings/Telephone call:
	3 November 2010—Simon Burns had a meeting with Gordon Birtwistle MP regarding Burnley General Hospital
	8 November 2010—Simon Burns had a telephone call with Mike Farrar regarding Burnley General Hospital
	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—9
	Ministerial visits:
	10 April 2013—Jeremy Hunt visit to George Elliot Hospital
	Medway NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—4
	Ministerial meetings:
	23 January 2013—Earl Howe met with Mark Reckless MP and Denise Harker and Mark Devlin, chair and chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust
	16 August 2013—Norman Lamb hosted the Voluntary Sector and Social Enterprise Sounding Board meeting which was attended by Martin Riley from Medway Community Healthcare
	North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—11
	Ministerial visits:
	8 July 2010—Andrew Lansley visit to North Cumbria Hospital and Whitehaven and West Cumberland Hospital
	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—2
	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—9
	Ministerial visits:
	1 July 2010—Simon Burns visit to Newark Hospital with Patrick Mercer MP
	21 March 2013—Dr Daniel Poulter visit to Newark Hospital
	Debates:
	6 July 2010—Simon Burns participated in a debate on Newark Hospital
	Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—10
	United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	Items of correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit—27
	Ministerial visits:
	26 April 2012—Andrew Lansley visit to Pilgrim Hospital
	21 March 2013—Dr Daniel Poulter visit to Lincoln County Hospital and Grantham and District Hospital

NHS: ICT

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2013, Official Report, column 473W, on NHS: ICT, and with reference to paragraph 7.53 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work published by the Cabinet Office, whether those briefing documents would be disclosable in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and on what grounds a decision on whether to exempt such material from a freedom of information request would be made.

Daniel Poulter: The Department handles all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests in accordance with the legislation which provides full details of the grounds for possible exemption. It is not possible to predict the outcome of an FOI request that has not been submitted.
	FOI requests can be sent using the following contact form on the Department's website:
	www.info.doh.gov.uk/contactus.nsf/memo?openform

NHS: Private Sector

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what safeguards are in place to ensure that private healthcare providers operating NHS contracts carry sufficient insurance indemnity to meet any future claims for medical negligence made against them;
	(2)  whether private healthcare providers fulfilling contracts for the NHS are able to use the NHS Litigation Authority scheme to meet future claims;
	(3)  whether private healthcare providers fulfilling contracts for the NHS bear the full indemnity in cases of medical negligence on their part.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS Standard Contract requires all contractors of national health service care to hold and maintain adequate and appropriate indemnity arrangements. The commissioner issuing the contract should always ensure that sufficient indemnity insurance is in place.
	Private health care providers are now able to use the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts. Changes were made to secondary legislation to allow this to happen from April 2013.
	The NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) bears the full indemnity for private health care providers in cases of medical negligence, where providers are a paid up member of an appropriate NHS LA scheme.
	Private health care providers are also able to procure clinical negligence indemnity cover from the insurance market.

NHS: Private Sector

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial stringency tests are applied to private healthcare providers bidding for NHS contracts.

Daniel Poulter: It is standard practice for commissioners to apply financial checks as part of their procurement processes, typically at the pre-qualification questionnaire stage. These should apply equally and in a non-discriminatory way to all types of providers but be proportionate to the service being procured. It is for commissioners to determine the precise nature of the financial checks they apply for any given procurement process.

Obesity: Children

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a call to action on obesity in England, published in October 2011, what progress has been made to date on achieving the Government's aim to reverse the increase in the level of excess weight in children by 2020.

Anna Soubry: Figures are not yet available to indicate what progress has been made on the levels of excess weight in children since the publication of ‘A call to action on obesity in England’ in October 2011. Data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity are published annually by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The latest data available are from the Health Survey for England for 2011 and from the National Child Measurement Programme for the school year 2011-12. New data will be published at the end of this year.
	A copy of ‘A call to action on obesity in England’ has already been placed in the Library.

Out of Area Treatment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients registered at an address in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland received treatment at a hospital in England in each month since May 2007.

Anna Soubry: The following tables show the number of finished admission episodes (in-patients), out-patient attendances (out-patient) and accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for patients identified as resident in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from May 2007 to March 2012.
	
		
			 Inpatient finished admission episodes (FAEs(1)) 
			  Month Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Total FAEs 
			 2007 May 596 4,388 146 1,147,113 
			 2007 June 648 4,196 144 1,104,802 
			 2007 July 847 4,549 192 1,145,539 
			 2007 August 658 4,234 139 1,112,277 
			 2007 September 625 4,098 142 1,082,317 
			 2007 October 652 4,398 149 1,193,763 
			 2007 November 638 4,391 156 1,163,552 
			 2007 December 525 3,764 108 1,038,820 
			 2008 January 533 4,341 149 1,178,857 
			 2008 February 518 4,149 140 1,136,323 
			 2008 March 513 4,218 120 1,124,737 
			 2007-08 Unknown 14 — — 1,026 
			       
			 2008 April 589 4,552 145 1,183,865 
			 2008 May 576 4,379 119 1,152,208 
			 2008 June 676 4,574 155 1,159,465 
			 2008 July 808 4,928 180 1,224,943 
			 2008 August 645 4,346 144 1,107,367 
			 2008 September 636 4,527 131 1,188,091 
			 2008 October 638 4,937 155 1,245,045 
			 2008 November 514 4,454 124 1,174,331 
			 2008 December 630 4,379 109 1,156,641 
			 2009 January 566 4,500 192 1,185,322 
			 2009 February 473 4,127 161 1,110,094 
			 2009 March 575 4,763 211 1,265,296 
			 2008-09 Unknown — — — 24 
			       
			 2009 April 600 4,559 157 1,176,322 
			 2009 May 618 4,298 198 1,161,147 
			 2009 June 688 4,754 175 1,233,630 
			 2009 July 837 4,868 218 1,250,820 
			 2009 August 697 4,416 175 1,134,941 
			 2009 September 655 4,784 141 1,227,678 
			 2009 October 625 4,917 154 1,263,743 
			 2009 November 602 4,899 148 1,237,284 
			 2009 December 576 4,512 147 1,195,749 
			 2010 January 587 4,358 142 1,168,688 
			 2010 February 544 4,357 144 1,159,192 
			 2010 March 642 5,100 193 1,328,515 
			 2009-10 Unknown — — — 3 
			       
			 2010 April 674 4611 131 1,197,916 
			 2010 May 608 4808 153 1,214,441 
			 2010 June 662 5,027 208 1,267,020 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 July 802 4,974 192 1,271,826 
			 2010 August 712 4,781 191 1,207,305 
			 2010 September 697 4,800 174 1,265,420 
			 2010 October 722 4,651 175 1,260,699 
			 2010 November 644 4,877 182 1,288,492 
			 2010 December 528 4,160 127 1,185,182 
			 2011 January 615 4,228 158 1,223,968 
			 2011 February 522 4,329 141 1,173,697 
			 2011 March 625 5,033 159 1,334,848 
			 2010-11 Unknown — — — 30 
			       
			 2011 April 612 4,356 163 1,153,007 
			 2011 May 635 4,803 187 1,235,567 
			 2011 June 678 4,885 196 1,270,018 
			 2011 July 866 4,630 227 1,242,971 
			 2011 August 721 4,894 199 1,238,800 
			 2011 September 640 4,894 177 1,256,931 
			 2011 October 701 4,732 184 1,256,062 
			 2011 November 518 4,886 156 1,290,705 
			 2011 December 574 4,658 149 1,205,098 
			 2012 January 516 4,772 185 1,281,841 
			 2012 February 532 4,715 169 1,245,647 
			 2012 March 581 5,252 155 1,341,198 
			 2011-12 Unknown — — — 1,551 
			 (1)A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 
		
	
	
		
			 Outpatient attendances 
			  Month Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Total attendances 
			 2007 May 1,239 16,077 232 4,587,402 
			 2007 June 1,310 15,610 187 4,482,970 
			 2007 July 1,412 16,366 191 4,657,427 
			 2007 August 1,336 15,924 213 4,437,888 
			 2007 September 1,199 15,236 209 4,401,026 
			 2007 October 1,486 18,005 266 5,018,526 
			 2007 November 1,363 17,357 218 4,892,107 
			 2007 December 1,054 13,524 162 3,804,210 
			 2008 January 1,344 17,823 216 5,007,974 
			 2008 February 1,232 16,829 214 4,664,936 
			 2008 March 1,207 15,156 175 4,300,343 
			 2007-08 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2008 April 1,414 18,636 258 5,231,205 
			 2008 May 1,262 16,881 243 4,736,639 
			 2008 June 1,410 17,797 224 5,015,809 
			 2008 July 1,551 19,048 264 5,356,906 
			 2008 August 1,259 16,069 201 4,429,787 
			 2008 September 1,529 19,185 235 5,254,169 
			 2008 October 1,457 19,105 240 5,466,323 
			 2008 November 1,416 18,101 246 4,996,065 
			 2008 December 1,245 16,768 220 4,691,664 
			 2009 January 1,301 17,742 254 5,184,452 
			 2009 February 1,207 16,243 292 4,689,794 
			 2009 March 1,460 19,107 368 5,554,413 
			 2008-09 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2009 April 1,381 19,819 348 5,418,178 
			 2009 May 1,221 18,049 249 5,117,063 
			 2009 June 1,523 21,141 315 5,954,518 
			 2009 July 1,589 21,546 348 5,893,611 
			 2009 August 1,394 18,244 362 5,053,890 
			 2009 September 1,565 21,559 419 5,924,923 
			 2009 October 1,456 21,361 369 5,851,855 
			 2009 November 1,352 20,970 355 5,842,119 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 December 1,246 18,438 248 5,219,020 
			 2010 January 1,195 18,078 273 5,235,358 
			 2010 February 1,188 20,277 300 5,517,135 
			 2010 March 1,500 23,461 377 6,386,367 
			 2009-10 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2010 April 1,414 21,256 290 5,625,951 
			 2010 May 1,332 20,253 281 5,589,873 
			 2010 June 1,603 22,325 399 6,187,189 
			 2010 July 1,541 21,915 345 6,024,397 
			 2010 August 1,365 20,541 334 5,586,435 
			 2010 September 1,506 22,525 314 6,132,641 
			 2010 October 1,515 21,031 294 5,815,430 
			 2010 November 1,532 22,704 338 6,266,164 
			 2010 December 1,072 17,456 259 4,978,292 
			 2011 January 1,424 21,013 379 5,870,157 
			 2011 February 1,360 20,690 314 5,675,057 
			 2011 March 1,622 24,419 371 6,514,378 
			 2010-11 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2011 April 1,391 19,153 315 5,255,936 
			 2011 May 1,500 21,950 307 6,034,137 
			 2011 June 1,465 23,445 365 6,340,940 
			 2011 July 1,444 21,908 349 5,865,916 
			 2011 August 1,481 22,807 343 6,005,574 
			 2011 September 1,423 23,264 369 6,241,871 
			 2011 October 1,335 22,525 332 6,065,976 
			 2011 November 1,412 24,238 365 6,520,687 
			 2011 December 1,140 20,159 262 5,400,350 
			 2012 January 1,450 23,778 266 6,362,941 
			 2012 February 1,355 22,939 305 6,136,357 
			 2012 March 1,439 23,702 344 6,419,807 
			 2011-12 Unknown — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 A&E attendances 
			  Month Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Total Attendances 
			 2007 May 1,149 3,444 149 1,085,820 
			 2007 June 1,196 3,402 179 1,055,606 
			 2007 July 2,125 3,446 276 1,066,035 
			 2007 August 1,554 3,869 241 1,026,979 
			 2007 September 1,182 3,297 146 1,008,982 
			 2007 October 1,201 3,242 168 1,027,328 
			 2007 November 907 2,903 148 998,048 
			 2007 December 1,053 3,020 164 982,490 
			 2008 January 844 2,688 150 975,036 
			 2008 February 727 2,766 154 951,744 
			 2008 March 961 3,067 170 1,049,448 
			 2007-08 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2008 April 1,268 3,105 146 1,125,175 
			 2008 May 1,358 3,636 194 1,235,891 
			 2008 June 1,428 3,436 221 1,189,715 
			 2008 July 2,251 3,709 355 1,199,422 
			 2008 August 1,614 3,984 312 1,149,472 
			 2008 September 1,348 3,346 211 1,131,584 
			 2008 October 1,320 3,499 218 1,152,728 
			 2008 November 883 3,126 202 1,121,270 
			 2008 December 1,231 3,318 152 1,126,183 
			 2009 January 866 2,927 142 1,072,069 
			 2009 February 784 2,796 147 1,031,699 
			 2009 March 1,016 3,371 168 1,258,864 
			 2008-09 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2009 April 1,554 3,781 225 1,316,152 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 May 1,346 3,789 227 1,365,253 
			 2009 June 1,531 3,921 219 1,372,846 
			 2009 July 2,627 4,197 456 1,372,436 
			 2009 August 1,812 4,464 317 1,281,021 
			 2009 September 1,405 3,739 182 1,298,934 
			 2009 October 1,507 3,742 220 1,341,259 
			 2009 November 1,017 3,384 192 1,275,185 
			 2009 December 1,182 3,360 211 1,271,028 
			 2010 January 923 2,906 156 1,198,195 
			 2010 February 909 2,940 161 1,127,791 
			 2010 March 991 3,318 180 1,349,636 
			 2009-10 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2010 April 1,552 3,755 236 1,361,001 
			 2010 May 1,443 4,041 255 1,443,785 
			 2010 June 1,562 AP78 278 1,397,321 
			 2010 July 2,686 4,342 436 1,442,289 
			 2010 August 1,874 4,468 333 1,345,139 
			 2010 September 1,511 3,813 275 1,346,328 
			 2010 October 1,553 3,764 264 1,356,486 
			 2010 November 968 3,358 203 1,285,427 
			 2010 December 1,113 3,518 215 1,322,514 
			 2011 January 1,020 3,118. 200 1,311,577 
			 2011 February 948 3,098 209 1,212,860 
			 2011 March 1,193 3,513 186 1,420,207 
			 2010-11 Unknown — — — — 
			       
			 2011 April 1,791 4,125 280 1,473,668 
			 2011 May 1,510 4,146 268 1,516,468 
			 2011 June 1,622 4,114 304 1,443,957 
			 2011 July 2,951 4,309 482 1,516,064 
			 2011 August 1,987 4,795 384 1,436,403 
			 2011 September 1,714 3,951 307 1,460,438 
			 2011 October 1,666 4,131 265 1,514,703 
			 2011 November 1,118 3,569 213 1,425,632 
			 2011 December 1,349 3,815 248 1,411,283 
			 2012 January 1,099 3,364 198 1,433,705 
			 2012 February 1,073 3,554 231 1,400,877 
			 2012 March 1,265 3,974 250 1,586,510 
			 2011-12 Unknown — — — — 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre. 
		
	
	It should be noted that for each of these measures the number does not necessarily equate to the number of patients as it is possible for an individual to have more than one admission or attendance within the period.
	Data for 2012-13 is not yet final, but can be made available in the autumn once checks have been completed.

St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit the hospitals within the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Daniel Poulter: The Department’s ministerial team undertake a large number of visits each year to a range of health and care settings and would be happy to consider a visit to St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the future.

TRANSPORT

A14

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the development and financing proposals are for the new A14 road;
	(2)  when proposals for tolling of the new A14 will be announced;
	(3)  when it is proposed that the planning process for the construction of the new A14 will (a) commence and (b) be completed;
	(4)  when the contractors for the new A14 will be appointed.

Stephen Hammond: When we announced the A14 major scheme in July 2012 we said that it would involve tolling, a local contribution and, subject to spending review decisions, central Government funding. That remains our position and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury confirmed the government funding element in his speech on 27 June 2013.
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury also announced that we will be bringing forward the planned start by almost two years. This means that construction could begin in 2016, subject to completion of statutory processes.
	The Highways Agency is planning a consultation this year on the A14 proposals in line with a programme to submit a Development Consent Order application in the second half of 2014. This consultation will set out the tolling proposal and the scheme options and will inform the option that is taken through the Development Consent Order process. We will provide a firmer timetable for delivery, including when contractors are likely to be appointed, in the autumn.

Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to visit Bournemouth.

Norman Baker: Transport Ministers have no current plans to visit but of course they would be open to considering any invitation from the hon. Member.

Carbon Emissions: Aviation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to help secure an agreement at the forthcoming international Civil Aviation Agreement Organisation Assembly to reduce aviation emissions.

Simon Burns: The UK has been heavily involved in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) discussions to secure an agreement on climate change emissions. In particular, the UK was a member of the High Level Group on Climate Change which was established in November 2012 and has actively participated in all of the meetings to date.
	The UK has been working with our EU counterparts to convince the ICAO Council States of the need for ICAO to show leadership at its General Assembly in September, especially in light of the adoption by the global airline industry association, IATA, of a climate change resolution which supports the development of a single, global measure for aviation emissions. The UK will continue to work with our international partners and with ICAO to push for an ambitious, global approach to reduce emissions from international aviation in the run-up to the Assembly.

Diesel Vehicles

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where guidance on the removal of factory-fitted particulate diesel filters from vehicles has been published on his Department's website.

Stephen Hammond: The Department's officials are still working on the details of the guidance to ensure accuracy of the information being provided. We hope to make the information available on the website after the summer break.

Driving Tests

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has undertaken a review of the health and safety issues associated with the use of private commercial and retail properties as bases for driving examiners.

Stephen Hammond: All private commercial and retail properties that are currently used to deliver driving tests from were subject to health and safety visits by Driving Standards Agency (DSA) health and safety staff. Health and safety checks were also undertaken by the Public and Commercial Services trade union health and safety team before testing commenced.
	These sites, and all other DSA premises, are subject to annual safety reviews.

Driving: Licensing

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the age when driving licence holders have to reapply for a licence.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to increase the age when driving licence holders have to reapply for a licence.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many untaxed vehicles have been recorded following online reporting in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

Stephen Hammond: The figures available relate to the total number of unlicensed vehicle reports that were received online and the number of vehicles that were subsequently found to be unlicensed. These figures may contain multiple reports for the same vehicle.
	In 2012, 164,777 online reports of possibly unlicensed vehicles were received from the general public, of these, 51,761 were unlicensed. This calendar year, 91,932 online reports have been received of possibly unlicensed vehicles, of these, 18,097 were unlicensed.

Fuels: EU Law

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on the implementation of measures arising from the Fuel Quality Directive.

Norman Baker: Department for Transport ministers and officials meet regularly with various interested parties, including counterparts in the European Commission, to discuss the implementation of the Fuel Quality Directive.
	I have had meetings with the Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, with representatives of industry, and with environmental pressure groups.
	Recent discussions included the Commission's proposed Directive amending the Fuel Quality Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive to address indirect land use change impacts associated with certain biofuels published in October last year, and implementing measures under article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive in respect of the calculation of the carbon intensity of fossil fuels.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of High Speed 2 within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are not planned to be in a tunnel as of 16 July 2013.

Simon Burns: Of the 12.9 miles through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, only 5.5 miles is not in bored tunnel or green tunnel. However this does not take into account the length of route hidden in cutting, which is over 3.5 miles.

Motor Vehicle Type Approval: EU Law

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on implementation of EU Directive 2007/46/EC; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Directive 2007/46/EC has been implemented in the UK through Statutory Instrument 2009 (No. 717) that came into force on 29 April 2009.
	The Government's approach to this directive is to ensure that UK manufacturers have the opportunity to approve vehicles for use on our roads using the full flexibility of the different schemes provided for in the directive.

Passenger Ships: Accidents

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the response of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to the sinking of the leisure craft in Liverpool on 30 March 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Marine Accident Investigation Branch acted in accordance with the legislation in respect of the incident on 20 March 2013.
	On 30 March 2013, it was reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) that Wacker Quacker 4, a DUKW operated by Yellowduck Marine, had foundered in Albert Dock, Liverpool. The circumstances of the accident were that the DUKW had suffered a malfunction of its hydraulic steering system such that it could not manoeuvre back to the slipway.
	With the assistance of another vessel, the DUKW was manoeuvred alongside a pontoon to disembark the passengers, whereupon the crew noticed that the vessel was taking on water.
	Once all passengers had left the DUKW, attempts were made to move the vessel to the slipway for recovery. The DUKW sank before it reached the slipway, but was subsequently recovered.
	The MAIB made enquiries from which it was established that water had entered the DUKW via a drainage hole, as the plug had not been refitted at the start of the day's operations. It was further established that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was following up the sinking, and was taking steps with Yellowduck Marine to ensure that the DUKWs had enough buoyancy to remain afloat when flooded.
	As no crew or passengers had been injured during the event, and because the marine regulator reported it was taking what appeared to be appropriate action to prevent a recurrence, the MAIB decided not to investigate further.
	Following the sinking of Wacker Quacker 1 on 15 June 2013, the MAIB commenced a full investigation that will include a review of the actions taken following the earlier sinking of Wacker Quacker 4.

Public Transport: Disability

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) train and (b) bus services to make them more accessible to disabled people in the last five years.

Norman Baker: £203m of the 10 year £370m Access for All programme has been spent in the last five years on improving access at railway stations and a further £37.5m Mid-tier fund was announced in 2011 which will be spent by March 2014. In addition, around £31 m has been allocated direct to train operators for smaller scale access improvements between 2009 and 2014. This is over and above work funded by the train operators themselves or as part of larger projects such as Birmingham New Street or Thameslink.
	No direct funding is allocated to make rail vehicles more accessible. Instead the cost is included in the purchase price of new vehicles, or when such work is undertaken on older vehicles as they receive heavy maintenance. This is ahead of the legal deadline of 1 January 2020 by which time all rail vehicles must be accessible.
	No direct funding has been provided by the Department specifically to improve accessibility of buses. However, the provision of funding such as the Green Bus Fund has supported the purchase of around 1,200 new, low carbon buses, more than 900 of which are now on the roads of England. All of these buses are fully accessible.
	The Department for Transport continues to work to improve physical accessibility to public transport. The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) require all new buses and coaches used to provide local or scheduled services and designed to carry more than 22 passengers to be accessible to disabled passengers.
	All existing buses and coaches used to provide local or scheduled services will have to comply with PSVAR by end dates between 2015 and 2020, depending on vehicle type. At November 2012, 69% of all buses in Great Britain met the PSVAR requirements.
	On June 12th 2013 I announced the decision to retain the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), in recognition of DPTAC's valuable contribution to the wider transport accessibility agenda.

Railways: Finance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the amount of funding allocated for new railway infrastructure in (a) the North West and (b) the South East over the last three years.

Simon Burns: No recent estimate has been made of allocation by region. Network Rail provides detail of its new railway infrastructure funding by route for the years to 2014.

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport provides excellent services to those living or residing in Wales, in particular through the Department’s agencies, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Driving Standards Agency, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and the Vehicle Certification Agency.

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has a current Welsh language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Norman Baker: A Welsh language scheme was published by the central Department in 2004, and is maintained as a living document. The scheme is available on GOV.UK in both Welsh and English.
	The Driving Standards Agency (DSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Vehicle Operator Service Agency (VOSA) each have Welsh language schemes. The DSA adopted its current Welsh language scheme in December 2008, the most recent review began in December 2012 and was completed in April 2013.
	The DVLA adopted their scheme in 1997 and it was last updated in December 2009 and the VOSA adopted their Welsh language scheme in 2005, revising it in 2010.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Accountancy

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on contracts with (a) Deloitte, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young in each year since 2008.

Alan Duncan: The following table gives details of spend on contracts with (a) Deloitte, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young in each year since 2008.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Supplier 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Deloitte 2,523,884 4,640,574 6,447,028 907,321 1,891,790 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 2,333,773 5,812,908 15,812,927 23,486,324 42,307,000 
			 KPMG 15,252,962 15,536,952 40,657,136 37,024,013 28,098,467 
			 Ernst & Young 0 0 161,082 1,566,061 4,297,254 
		
	
	This table shows the amount paid to the supplier. DFID systems cannot currently automatically break this down into how much is retained in fees and how much is spent on the project they are managing. An example of such a breakdown is KPMG's programme to help the Government of Ethiopia to improve their management of the risks of climate change, which has a total value of £8.3 million, of which £0.4 million consists of fees and expenses incurred managing the programme.
	Changes are now under way to DFID's accounting system to enable it to make automatic distinctions between contract fees and overall project costs. This latter money is used by communities to fund the provision of services, for example by paying salaries for teachers and health workers, and to buy goods such as textbooks and medical supplies. It also funds research and provides training and advice to support the development of local capacity.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department has allocated to projects which support economic growth in Afghanistan in each year since 2010; and what the 10 most expensive such projects have been.

Alan Duncan: Supporting economic growth is one of the three priority areas for DFID's work in Afghanistan, alongside work to improve political stability and helping the state to deliver improved services. Many of our programmes indirectly support economic growth in Afghanistan and so it is not possible to disaggregate the precise amount that DFID spends on this objective.
	Figures for the 10 largest programmes which contribute to the delivery of our growth objectives that commenced in or around 2010 are:
	
		
			 Programme name Start date End date Total programme budget (£ million 
			 Contribution to multi-donor Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund November 2011 November 2014 300.0 
			 Helmand Growth Programme May 2010 June 2015 36.0 
			 Supporting Employment and Enterprise Development March 2010 August 2014 36.0 
			 Contribution to multi-donor Afghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund March 2011 December 2015 35.0 
			 Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility February 2009 March 2015 31.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development programme (CARD-F) June 2009 June 2014 30.0 
			 Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Programme May 2012 December 2014 19.45 
			 Tax Administration Project August 2011 March 2015 19.0 
			 Strengthening the Agricultural Sector in Afghanistan April 2012 March 2015 12.9 
			 Road Improvement in Central Helmand November 2010 April 2013 10.5

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprenticeships her Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not recruited any external apprentices in the years or age groups specified. However, DFID does offer current employees the opportunity to take up in-service apprenticeships, irrespective of age.

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what strategies she has to create apprenticeships in her Department; and what plans she has to promote such strategies.

Alan Duncan: The Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme was launched in April 2013 and a pilot cohort will commence with 100 places across Government Departments in September 2013. The aim is to increase the total places available in the future to 500 and DFID is committed to participate when the scheme is extended.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many creditors to her Department owed more than £10,000 remained unpaid for more than (a) 30 days, (b) 45 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 75 days and (e) more than 90 days in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: The number of creditors owed during the period outlined in the question is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of creditors 
			 Financial year 30-44 days 45-59 days 60-74 days 75-89 days Over 90 days Total 
			 2010-11 18 6 1 0 0 25 
			 2011-12 15 8 2 0 1 26 
			 2012-13 3 2 1 0 1 7 
		
	
	All payments detailed in the schedule have now been processed. This includes the “over 90 days” invoice for 2012-2013 which was payable to the Crown Agents in the sum of £23,208.

British Overseas Territories

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to work with Overseas Territory governments to improve their standards of transparency.

Alan Duncan: DFID encourages Overseas Territories (OT) to undertake their business in a transparent fashion. Technical support has been made available to OT Governments to strengthen both financial and audit functions.
	We welcome the increased availability and public disclosure of government documentation available online from many of the Territories but recognise that more needs to be done. Recent reform plans agreed by DFID with OT governments require that any new policies and legislation to be the result of wider consultation, and more transparent procedures.

British Overseas Territories

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department's input into the European Development Spending Agreements for the British Overseas Territories will take into account the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy.

Alan Duncan: The overall funding envelope for the 11th European Development Fund covers Africa Caribbean and Pacific countries, Overseas Territories, the European Investment Bank and Commission support costs. During negotiations in Brussels on the allocations to be set for Overseas Territories, no specific strategies were considered, although the UK Government was keen to ensure that the Territories were not disadvantaged in the final funding envelope agreed. DFID will encourage the British Overseas Territories to consider biodiversity issues when submitting applications to the fund.

British Overseas Territories

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response her Department has made to the recent commitment by the DG-Development Co-operation of the European Commission to release environmental funding to the British Overseas Territories under the Development Co-operation Instrument.

Alan Duncan: DFID welcomes the decision of the European Commission confirming that Overseas Territories are eligible for environmental funding under the Development Cooperation Instrument. DFID will work with colleagues in FCO and DEFRA to ensure the Territories are supported in their applications for any such funding.

Fairtrade Initiative

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the role of fairtrade goods in development.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wirral South (Alison McGovern) on 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 775W.

Montserrat

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what her Department's policy is on the draft Conservation and Environmental Management Bill proposed by the Government of Montserrat;
	(2)  what recent representations her Department has made to the government of Montserrat on that country's draft Conservation and Environmental Management Bill.

Alan Duncan: Environmental management and conservation is a key component of the Strategic Growth Plan for Montserrat. As part of that plan, DFID has helped the Government of Montserrat create an appropriate legal and institutional framework for environmental management and will provide further technical support for work on environmental and climate change management under this framework.

Pitcairn Islands

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the Government of the Pitcairn Islands on her Department's funding of projects to deal with consequences of lax biosecurity in that Territory and the lack of biosecurity legislation.

Alan Duncan: Through provision of budget aid, DFID funds a biosecurity officer who has responsibility for biosecurity issues.

Redundancy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her Department resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and how much this has cost her Department.

Alan Duncan: No DFID employees resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy since May 2010. There has therefore been no cost to the Department.

St Helena

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the airport construction on biodiversity conservation in St Helena.

Alan Duncan: The potential impact of airport construction on biodiversity has been subject to detailed analysis in the environmental impact assessment undertaken by UK consultants during the period 2005 to 2007. Surveys and mitigation measures to protect biodiversity have been undertaken subsequently in response to variations in construction design and will continue to be carried out as necessary.

St Helena

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) technical assistance her Department has provided and (b) representations her Department has made to the St Helena Government on the draft Environmental Protection Ordinance currently in preparation.

Alan Duncan: In December 2010, DFID and the St Helena Government agreed a series of wide ranging reforms to prepare for air access. This included building on earlier DFID-funded work to strengthen the institutional arrangements for environmental management. An Environmental Management Directorate was established in April 2012 to which DFID continues to provide financial and technical support. In September 2012, the new Directorate produced the island's first National Environmental Management Plan with substantive technical input from the DFID Environmental Adviser. The new Environmental Protection Ordinance comes out of the work of the new Directorate. DFID funds a specialist who is helping to draft the Ordinance.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of affordable housing were developed in rural areas in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: There were 20,830 additional affordable dwellings provided in rural areas in 2009-10, 20,890 additional affordable dwellings provided in rural areas in 2010-11 and 20,400 additional affordable dwellings provided in rural areas in 2011-12. Comparative figures for 2008-09 were 19,820.
	Rural areas included all local authorities defined as Significant Rural (districts with more than 37,000 people or more than 26% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns); Rural-50 (districts with at least 50% but less than 80% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns); or Rural-80 (districts with at least 80% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns) based on the DEFRA rural/urban local authority classification.

Assured Tenancies

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to bring Crown tenants within the assured tenancy scheme.

Mark Prisk: Subject to finding parliamentary time, it is the Government's intention to amend legislation to ensure that Crown tenants (mostly tenants of Government Departments) are in general provided with the same statutory rights as the majority of tenants in the private sector.
	Currently, most tenants in the private sector have assured shorthold tenancies. Assured shorthold tenants enjoy a minimum tenancy term of six months and the landlord may only seek possession on one of the grounds set out in legislation. The no-fault ground for possession gives landlords an automatic right to possession, provided the landlord has given the tenant at least two months' notice. However, an order for possession on this ground cannot be enforced during the initial six months or any fixed term period.
	Crown tenancies are currently excluded from the assured tenancy regime. This means that the only statutory protection enjoyed by a Crown tenant is that provided by the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, which requires the landlord to give the tenant a minimum of 28 days notice. In both cases, the landlord needs to obtain an order for possession from the court.
	There may of course be certain specific situations where there are compelling reasons why a Crown tenancy might need to be terminated after less than six months or with less than two months' notice being given. We intend to retain an exemption for Crown tenancies from the assured tenancy regime in limited circumstances, for example where occupants may need to be moved at short notice for military operational reasons.
	The Government will of course consult on any proposed changes before bringing forward legislation. It is intended that any change to legislation would apply only to Crown tenancies granted after the date on which the amendment comes into force.

Housing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential of home purchase plans to provide alternative routes into home ownership.

Mark Prisk: We support innovation in the development of home purchase plans, including Sharia-compliant mortgages. This country is in the forefront of Sharia-compliant mortgages, rating at the upper end of Western countries in Sharia-compliant assets. Other forms of home purchase plans are at too early a stage of development to allow a full assessment of their potential.

Housing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to promote innovation in the housing sector.

Mark Prisk: The Government is undertaking a range of work to encourage innovation in the housing sector. In particular, we are working to expand the private rented sector through our £1 billion Build to Rent fund which aims to attract new institutional investment to provide new build homes for private rent. We introduced an affordable rent model that is delivering more affordable housing at a lower cost to the taxpayer; the new affordable homes programme announced at the spending round will further drive up efficiency and value for money from this very large Government investment in new affordable homes. The Government is also offering two innovative Housing Guarantee schemes to enable the building of more homes in the affordable and private rented sectors without increasing public debt. The Government has also been promoting self build to encourage its expansion and the diversification of the house building sector. The range of the Government's housing policies and programmes can be found on the DCLG website at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/topics/housing

Landlords: Urban Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2013, Official Report, column 284W, on landlords: urban areas, when he plans to publish details of the further solutions to improve information on high street landlords.

Mark Prisk: The Future High Street Forum is considering, with care, ways that could assist councils in identifying property owners without creating unnecessary costs to business or local authorities. Progress will be reported through the Forum webpage at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/future-high-streets-forum

Local Government Finance

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the full cost to the Exchequer of restoring funding to local authorities to the level it would have been without the Spending Rounds of both 2010 and 2013 in the fiscal year 2015-16.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The Treasury estimate of the amount of Exchequer funding that would be required to make funding provided to local authorities through LG DEL equivalent to the 2010-11 baseline in real terms is £7.276 billion.

Local Government Finance

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the Environmental, Cultural and Protective Services block grant is distributed using indicators of (a) social deprivation, (b) population density and (c) population sparsity.

Brandon Lewis: The Environmental Cultural and Protective Services block is one of a number of Relative Needs Formulae used in the provision of Revenue Support Grant to local authorities. It is not expressed in terms of an amount of funding. Revenue Support Grant is unhypothecated, local authorities are free to spend it as they choose, and for this reason it is not possible to state how much is distributed for any particular service.

Local Government Finance: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated to Barnsley metropolitan borough council for local authority supported capital expenditure in (a) housing stock and (b) major repairs allowance in each year since 2009-10.

Mark Prisk: The allocation figures for Barnsley metropolitan borough council's subsidy capital financing requirement and major repairs allowance are given in the table. Housing revenue account subsidy was abolished under the Localism Act 2011 and replaced with self-financing for local housing authorities from 1 April 2012. The data shown for 2012-13 are the subsidy-equivalent figures.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Subsidy capital financing requirement Major repairs allowance/dwelling Major repairs allowance total 
			 2010-11 133,152,900 608.67 11,721,243 
			 2011-12 275,179,400 603,72 11,528,117 
			 2012-13 275,354,400 852.97 16,174,017

Non-domestic Rates

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) average time was between business rates being levied and collected and (b) amount of uncollected business rates was in each (i) London borough and (ii) other local authority in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the average time between non-domestic rates being levied and collected is not held centrally.
	Information from each local authority in England on the national non-domestic rates net collectable debit for 2012-13, and on the amount of non-domestic rates collected during 2012-13 in respect of that year, have been published at the following location:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208765/Drop_down_Collection_ Rate_form_2012-13.xls
	These data are as reported on the Quarterly Return of Council Taxes and Non-Domestic Rates (QRC4) forms submitted by all billing authorities in England.

Private Rented Housing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the development of the private rented sector guarantee; and when he expects the private rented sector guarantee to be open for applications.

Mark Prisk: We announced on 20 June that we are now able to consider direct applications for the private rented sector guarantees scheme. Some potential borrowers are already discussing applications with DCLG and others are invited to do the same. A formal application process will open shortly.

Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to review the current arrangements for electrical safety in the residential rental sector; and if he will make a statement.

Don Foster: holding answer 15 July 2013
	There is a statutory requirement on landlords to ensure that electrical installations in a building are kept safe and in good working order. Our publication ‘Top Tips for Landlords’(1) encourages landlords to consider having electrical installations and equipment checked. The Electrical Safety Council recommends that safety checks are carried out every five years.
	Local authorities have powers under the Housing Act 2004 to investigate electrical hazards. Local authorities can also introduce a licensing scheme for private rented housing in their area under certain circumstances, Conditions can be attached to the licence specifying any requirements with which a landlord must comply. We will be working with local authorities over the summer to try and establish the extent to which licensing is used and the type of conditions that are typically attached to those licences.
	(1)( )https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/top-tips-for-landlords-assured-shorthold-tenancies

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to issue further guidance to local planning authorities on onshore wind farms.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer of 2 July 2013, Official Report, columns 538-39W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Appropriate Adults

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of appropriate adults fell within the age range (a) 20 to 30, (b) 31 to 40, (c) 41 to 50, (d) 51 to 60, (e) 61 to 70 and (f) over 70 in the most recent year for which information is available;
	(2)  what proportion of appropriate adults fell in each ethnic category in the most recent year for which information is available;
	(3)  how many of appropriate adults were (a) women and (b) men in the most recent year for which information is available;
	(4)  what information her Department holds on the socio-economic background of appropriate adults.

Jeremy Browne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Borders: Personal Records

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been of legal fees for the binding arbitration process with Raytheon Systems Ltd relating to the e-Borders programme to date.

Mark Harper: The final cost of legal fees in connection with the arbitration will not be determined until the conclusion of the process at which time this information will be disclosed.

Cumbria Constabulary

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what costs were incurred to the public purse by the South Wales Police investigation into the conduct of the suspended Chief Constable of Cumbria.
	(2)  what costs were incurred to the public purse by the IPCC investigations into the conduct of the suspended Chief Constable of Cumbria.

Damian Green: holding answer 17 July 2013
	The Home Office does not hold this information. However, information relating to this query can be found on the Office of the PCC for Cumbria's website:
	http://www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk/media/12029/2013%20FOI%20Disclosure%20Log%20(June).pdf

Europol

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she and her ministerial colleagues have had with representatives of Europol since May 2010.

Mark Harper: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the long-term trends in co-operation and co-ordination on the issue of human trafficking by (a) Eurojust, (b) Europol and (c)Interpol.

Mark Harper: No formal assessment has been made. However, Europol, Eurojust and Interpol all play an important role in helping the UK co-operate with our international partners against serious crime, including human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the European Arrest Warrant in combating human trafficking.

Mark Harper: No formal assessment has been made. However, the European Arrest Warrant plays an important role in helping the UK co-operate with our international partners against serious crime, including human trafficking.

Immigration

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average wait for in-country applicants waiting to be sent biometric enrolment invitations from the date their application is acknowledged is;
	(2)  what her Department's service standard is for the issuing of biometric enrolment invitations for in-country applications once the application has been acknowledged.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 June 2013
	The average waiting time to dispatch a biometric enrolment invitation letter in the three-month period from 1 January to 31 March 2013 was 65 calendar days for temporary migration cases, and 28 calendar days for permanent migration cases.
	With reference to the second question, the Home Office does not have a service standard for the issuing of biometric enrolment invitation letters for in-country cases.
	As part of its commitment to transparency the Home Office publishes its performance against service standards on a quarterly basis. The latest publication can be found at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/percentage-of-migration/
	Notes:
	1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. Figures relate to main applicants only.
	3. Figures relate to postal applications only.
	4. Figures relate to permanent and temporary migration biometric applications with a case created date between 1 January and 31 March 2013.
	5. Waiting time based on average number of calendar days between application raised (received) and case creation date, as biometric enrolment invitations are sent when the case is input on the Case Information Database (CID).

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to received a reply to his letter of 10 June 2013 to the interim Director General, UK Visas and Immigration, on behalf of a constituent, CTS ref M8559/13.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 July 2013
	I will arrange for the Interim Director General, UK Visas and Immigration to reply to your letter shortly.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to received a reply to his letter of 10 June 2013 to the interim Director General, UK Visas and Immigration, on behalf of a constituent, CTS ref B16075/13.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 July 2013
	I will arrange for the Interim Director General, UK Visas and Immigration to reply to your letter shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Slough of 25 February 2013, regarding her constituent Mrs FN and her sister Mrs AS in Pakistan, references GRY-PK-01-230449-X and ISL-210213-229528-1.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the hon. Member on 15 July 2013.

National Security

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the EU's role in promoting national resilience; and if she will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	It is this Government's position that national resilience or civil protection is, and should, remain primarily a national responsibility. However, the Government recognises that action at EU level can facilitate mutual aid between member states in a disaster, and supports the sharing of good practice to prevent disasters where possible and/or mitigate their consequences.

Offenders: Deportation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national criminals were deported from the UK in each year since 2008.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 July 2013
	The Home Office seeks to deport from the UK foreign national offenders (FNOs) who meet the following criteria:
	A court recommendation.
	For non-EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years, or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (other than possession).
	For EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	The following table sets out the number of foreign national offenders removed or deported from the UK in each year of the last five years.
	
		
			  Total number of FNOs removed by the Home Office 
			 2008 5,395 
			 2009 5,530 
			 2010 5,342 
			 2011 4,649 
			 2012 4,589 
		
	
	The table includes foreign national offenders who do not meet the criteria set out above and are removed from the UK under Section 10(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 10(1) relates to the removal of individuals unlawfully in the UK.

Police: Laboratories

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her latest estimate is of the number of police laboratories that will be accredited to ISO17025 by November 2013.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 18 July 2013
	37% of police forces currently hold accreditation to ISO 17025, this is predicted to increase to over 60% by November 2013 as a number of forces finalise the recommendations made by the awarding body, United Kingdom Accreditation Service. A number of forces have however decided to outsource this activity to commercial forensic service providers, who already hold ISO 17025, either on a short- or long-term basis.

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unmanned aerial vehicles were in use by police forces in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013. [R]

Damian Green: Police use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in England and Wales is an operational matter for individual police forces, within the regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority. Information about numbers in use is not collected centrally.

Pornography: Internet

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking (a) to tackle breaches of the Obscene Publications Acts by non-UK websites which provide explicit hardcore pornography equivalent to that classified R18 by the British Board of Film Classification which is downloaded in the UK and (b) to put in place suitable age verification measures to prevent children accessing such material.

Damian Green: The Government supports the work that the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) has undertaken. This will explore with UK financial institutions and card companies the possibility of declining to process payments to websites operating outside the European Union which allow under-18s in the UK to view explicit pornographic content. ATVOD provided a report of its progress in this area to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) Executive Board on 8 July 2013. Through UKCCIS the Government is supporting the work with industry to look at how age verification processes could be implemented.

Recovery Orders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many statutory recovery orders have been enforced in each police force area in (a) 2013, (b) 2012, (c) 2011 and (d) 2010.

Damian Green: The requested information is not collected by the Home Office.

Sexual Offences

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently on the sex offenders register; and what estimate she has made of the number of sex offenders in the UK who are not subject to the sex offenders register because their convictions took place prior to the implementation of the Sex Offenders Act 1997.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 15 July 2013
	Information on registered sex offenders is held on the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) database, a UK-wide system which is used to store and share information and intelligence on individuals.
	Data on ViSOR shows that there are currently a total of 64,484 registered sex offenders in the UK,
	Information on the number of offenders with convictions made prior to the commencement of the Sex Offenders Act 1997, which introduced the notification requirements for registered sex offenders (commonly referred to as the 'sex offenders' register), is not held centrally.

West Midlands Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of formula damping on the amount of national funding allocated to West Midlands Police in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Browne: Damping is a means of ensuring stability in funding for Police and Crime Commissioners between years. After considering the responses of an informal consultation on damping, the Government decided that every police force area in 2013-14 (and in 2014-15) will face the same percentage reduction in core central Government funding. The cash reduction in this funding for 2013-14 is 1.6%. This mirrors the approach taken for the first two years of this spending review period.
	Damping is only one part of the police funding picture, which is driven by the Police Allocation Formula (PAF). The Government will conduct a fundamental review of the PAF (including damping) to begin in due course and will seek the views of PCCs. Until this review of the Police Allocation Formula is completed, the Government considers that it would be inappropriate to change existing arrangements, as this is the basis on which many PCCs have made their financial plans.
	In 2011 -12, the effect of damping was to reduce core Government funding to West Midlands Police Authority by £27.5 million (equating to 5.2%), compared to what it would have received if the raw formula had been used. In 2012-13, the reduction was £23 million (equating to 4.7%), and in 2013-14, the reduction is £43.8 million (equating to 8%).

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many answers by her Department to Parliamentary Questions involving tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were (a) printed in full and (b) provided via a link to a website in the last year.

Mark Harper: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to Parliamentary Questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a link to a website and (c) placed in the Library.

Mark Harper: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons provides guidance to all Departments on the practice of answering parliamentary questions by reference to Government websites.
	The full guide is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
	A copy of the guidance relating to referring to websites has already been placed in the Library and the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons intends to review the Guide to Parliamentary Work later this year.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010.

Jo Swinson: Until 2013, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) did not keep a record of the age of internal apprentices. The table shows the age of externally recruited apprentices since 2010:
	
		
			 Age 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 16 to 18 0 0 0 1 
			 19 to 21 2 1 2 4 
			 22 to 26 0 0 0 1 
		
	
	BIS currently have 51 apprentices, 21 of whom are just embarking on their apprenticeship. This figure will rise to 57 in September. 12 of these 57 apprentices will be under the age of 21, with a further six apprentices under 21 expected to join the Department in the new year.

Business: EU Law

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made on the effect of directive 2007/46/EC on small and medium-sized businesses in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	At the time of implementing the national regulations to meet our obligations under directive 2007/46/EC a full impact assessment was undertaken and published by the Department for Transport. This is available at the following link:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/718/impacts
	The impact assessment includes a “Small firms’ impact test” and sets out the assessment undertaken at that time. The Department’s officials continue to liaise with the UK motor industry on the implementation of the directive.

Business: Government Assistance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what processes his Department has put in place to ensure that ongoing support is given to UK companies seeking to develop long-term business relationships overseas; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such processes.

Michael Fallon: Companies are in the best position to determine how best to maintain and develop long-term relationships with overseas customers. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has a global network of overseas support for UK companies. This network is always available to companies for advice and support but the commercial relationship management rests with the companies themselves. The effectiveness and impact of UKTI's advice and support is assessed through UKTI's Performance and Impact Monitoring Surveys (PIMS). Quarterly reports are published on the UKTI website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey/quarterlysurveys.html
	In addition, UKTI has a programme of independent evaluations to complement evidence from PIMS, which looks in depth at particular areas and assesses their performance.

Business: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on extending the provision of the Business Bank to Northern Ireland.

Michael Fallon: The flexibilities recently put in place under the Business Bank programme are already making a difference to Northern Irish businesses:
	The Start Up Loans scheme was extended to cover Northern Ireland last month. This will give people in NI who wish to start up their own business access to unsecured loans and tailored advice from a fund of £117 million.
	Earlier this month, Northern Irish businesses also became eligible to receive investments from the £100 million Business Angel Cofund.
	In addition, through its future wholesale products, we expect the bank to create more diverse and sustainable supplies of finance for businesses looking to grow and foster greater competition by leveraging funds through challenger banks.
	Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will also be running a roadshow event in Northern Ireland for potential applicants for the Business Bank's first £300 million investment programme in the coming months.
	BIS are continuing to work with the Executive and the main banks in Northern Ireland to help them receive the full benefits of the Business Bank's interventions and to ensure that it is relevant to the needs of NI businesses.

Cybercrime: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many undergraduate degree courses in cyber security are available in UK universities.

David Willetts: This information is not collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency or other means as cyber security is not a standard subject classification.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what methodology his Department used to determine the distribution of EU transition zone funding for 2014 to 2020.

Michael Fallon: 3% of the UK transition region budget will be transferred to the UK's two less developed regions—Cornwall and West Wales.
	Funding for Northern Ireland and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland will be 5% lower in real terms than in 2007-13.
	Funding for the nine English transition regions will be distributed equally, with all regions receiving an annual 20% real terms increase in funding compared to 2013.

Exports

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what processes his Department uses to monitor the increase in UK exports following trade missions and delegations.

Michael Fallon: Evidence about the financial benefits generated by UKTI trade services is gathered quarterly through the performance and impact monitoring survey (PIMS) carried out by an independent market research company specialising in business surveys. Quarterly results are published on the UKTI website at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey/quarterlysurveys.html
	The UKTI annual report and accounts (annex C) provides a short overview to PIMS at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
	PIMS measures additional sales and the business benefits derived as a result of the support provided. These measures recognise that export activity is not an end in itself, but benefits businesses and the UK economy through enabling companies to improve their performance and achieve stronger growth than would otherwise be possible.
	In addition to the evidence from PIMS, estimates of the impact of UKTI trade services are obtained through a rolling programme of independent evaluations of particular trade services. These evaluations use a range of alternative techniques in order to derive estimates of the magnitude of the impact of trade services on businesses and other measures of performance
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/evaluation.html
	UKTI recently commissioned an evaluation of all its events (which include trade missions), the results of which will be published in the next few months on the website.

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Jo Swinson: The Department has spent the following amounts on direct contracts for service with Grant Thornton:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008 20,268 
			 2009 10,390 
			 2010 2,885 
			 2011 17,400 
			 2012 (1)10,769 
			 (1) See as follows. 
		
	
	Since 2012 onwards, Grant Thornton has been the lead contractor for two significant BIS programmes.
	The first is the delivery of the Manufacturing Advisory Service which is funded by BIS to provide specialist manufacturing support for companies in England to help them improve and grow. The programme is delivered in England by the Manufacturing Advisory Consortium but BIS funding for the programme is initially paid through Grant Thornton as the lead contractor.
	The second is the delivery of the Growth Accelerator programme which is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises to deliver structured advice and support to break down barriers and provide opportunities for sustained business growth. This programme is delivered through a network of private sector business growth experts but BIS funding for the programme is initially paid through Grant Thornton.
	In 2012 (January to December), BIS paid a total of £21,177,011 to the Manufacturing Advisory Service programme and a total of £35,069,821 to the Growth Accelerator programme.
	In 2013 (January to end June), BIS paid a total of £15,558,672 to the Manufacturing Advisory Service programme and a total of £30,329,267 to the Growth Accelerator programme.

Green Construction Board

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has for the Green Construction Board after November 2013.

Michael Fallon: As "Construction 2025", the industrial strategy for construction (published on 2 July) makes clear, low carbon and sustainable construction presents huge opportunities for the industry, and Government and industry strongly support the continuation of the Green Construction Board. Its work will focus on the development of market and technology based plans to secure the jobs and growth opportunities from driving carbon out of the built environment.

Green Investment Bank

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the role of the Green Investment Bank in the Green Deal.

Michael Fallon: The Green Deal is one of the Green Investment Bank's priority sectors. The bank supplied part of the financing arrangements for the Green Deal, providing £125 million of senior debt on commercial terms.

Higher Education: Admissions

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the number of applications made by young people for higher education places in 2013-14.

David Willetts: Data published by UCAS on applications made by 30 June show a rise of 3% compared to the same point last year.
	In England the application rate for 18-year-olds is the second highest ever at 35.3%.
	Other data from UCAS show that the proportion of 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university has increased to the highest level ever recorded.

Higher Education: Admissions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of higher education applications for entrance in 2014 among young people in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The latest information on applicants in the 2013/14 entry cycle provided by UCAS shows that by 30 June there were 443,522 applicants from England, up 12,767 or 3% on the same point last year.
	The application rate for 18-year-olds from England is, at 35.5%, the second highest on record, and only slightly below the record figure of 35.7% in 2011.
	Other data from UCAS show that the proportion of 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university has increased to the highest level ever recorded.

Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2013, Official Report, columns 49-50W, on Interest Rate Swap Transactions, how many customers of (a) Barclays Bank, (b) RBS Groups, (c) HSBC Banking Group and (d) Lloyds Banking Group have received financial redress as part of the Financial Conduct Authority redress scheme.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not have figures on the number of cases which have received financial redress as part of the Financial Conduct Authority scheme.

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) in providing services regarded as satisfactory by businesses; and what steps he plans to take to improve the effectiveness of the MAS.

Michael Fallon: An independent survey is undertaken quarterly to evaluate customer satisfaction and perceived value of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) interventions, including the initial diagnostic of needs in the Manufacturing Review (Level 2) and the in-depth support to implement business improvements (Level 4). The latest survey covering the period January to March 2013 found that:
	At Level 2, 95% of clients surveyed (319 out of 337) think "MAS is good value for money/time investment" the highest score since the surveys began in Q4 2011/12.
	At level 4, 99% of clients surveyed (267 out of 269) think "MAS is good value for money/time investment" at Level 4.
	As set out in “Building the Business Bank” published in March 2012, work is under way to improve the effectiveness, raise awareness and increase the use of the Government's business advice services, including those provided through MAS.

Medicine: Research

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of his Department's ring-fenced budget for science will be used to support charity-funded medical research in the next 12 months.

David Willetts: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by charitable funders of research. The charity support element of quality related research funding, provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), recognises the public benefit arising from research funded by charities, including the medical charities. HEFCE has been asked, as part of the science and research allocation for the spending review period 2011-15, to protect support for institutions leveraging funding from external sources, such as the charitable and business sectors. HEFCE has announced that support for universities undertaking research funded by charities, including the medical charities, will be maintained at £198 million for 2013-14.

Overseas Investment: Mozambique

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance the Government provides to UK firms that wish to invest in Mozambique.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) offer a broad range of help, tailored to the specific needs of the company requesting it. This could include high level lobbying, in-depth reporting on market conditions including regulations and potential, help with relevant meetings and invitations to events in the UK to meet senior decision makers. UKTI's High Value Opportunities (HVO) programme, which helps UK-based firms to capitalise on major projects worldwide, includes oil and gas opportunities in Mozambique. In the last year, UKTl has reopened an office in Maputo and has helped a broad range of companies on this basis.

Postal Services: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what quantifiable benefits the privatisation of Royal Mail will bring to postal services in North West Wales.

Michael Fallon: The overarching objective of the Government's reforms of the postal sector is to secure the future of the universal postal service (the six-days-a-week delivery and collection of letters at uniform affordable prices throughout the UK). The best way to achieve this is by ensuring that Royal Mail has a sustainable future.
	Our reforms so far—installing Ofcom as regulator and taking on Royal Mail's historic pension deficit—together with the efforts of employees and management to modernise the company, mean that Royal Mail is on the path to sustainability.
	A sale of Royal Mail shares will allow the company future access to private capital so that it can continue to become more efficient, and can innovate and seize the opportunities presented by new markets; like the rapid growth of parcels through online shopping. It will make Royal Mail a more efficient, better capitalised, faster-moving company which is better able to adapt and meet the needs of its customers in all parts of the UK.

Recycling: Job Creation

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created by recycling between 2013 and 2020.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme has estimated that the recycling industry has the potential to generate roughly 10,000 new jobs in the UK by 2020, available at:
	www.wrap.org.uk/content/wraps-vision-uk-circular-economy-2020
	The Environmental Services Association also estimates that there is potential for 7,500 to 12,000 new jobs in the recycling sector by 2020, available at:
	www.esauk.org/esa_reports/Circular_Economy_Report_FINAL_High_Res_For_Release.pdf
	It is estimated that Britain’s waste and resource management sector currently employs over 100,000 people and generates over £12 billion in sales.

Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the title is of each regulation his Department (a) introduced and (b) revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The One In, One Out rule was introduced on 1 September 2010 and applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2011. It was replaced by the One In, Two Out rule which has applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2013. Details of regulations introduced and revoked by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) that fall within the scope of One In, One Out (OIOO) and One In, Two Out (OITO) are published online in the Statements of New Regulation and have also been placed in the Library in response to the answers I gave on 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 633W.
	The complete tables of measures, including those in the recent Sixth Statement of New Regulation (covering July to December 2013) are contained in the annex which will be placed in the Library.

Science of Cyber Security Research Institute

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timescale is for funding of the Institute for Science of Cyber Security.

David Willetts: The ‘Science of Cyber Security’ Research Institute is looking to improve understanding of the science behind the growing cyber security threat. The institute is funded by a £3.8 million grant as part of the cross-Government commitment to increasing the UK's academic capability in cyber security. This is administered through Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council research grants which were granted on 1 October 2012 and will run until 31 March 2016.

Shipbuilding: Industry

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the shipbuilding industry.

Michael Fallon: We are working with shipbuilders and the rest of the marine sector to implement the Marine Industries Growth Strategy through the Marine Industries Leadership Council that I co-chair. Good progress is being made on the priority areas of technology, skills and exports. The Technology Strategy Board launched an £8 million collaborative research competition in January 2013 aimed at accelerating innovation and technologies to improve vessel efficiency. This proved to be highly successful and illustrated the industry's capability to develop innovative projects. A further competition will be launched in the winter.
	In January 2013 I launched the Marine Export Strategy, which UK Trade & Investment has developed with industry to deliver export growth. Support has also been provided to Princess Yachts under the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and Fairline Boats Ltd received a conditional offer under the latest round of the RGF.

Supermarkets: Competition

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Competition and Markets Authority has to assess market features restricting, preventing or distorting competition between supermarkets and small independent retailers.

Jo Swinson: The new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will come into force formally in April 2014. It will take forward the responsibilities of the Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission, which have previously investigated the groceries market and put in place remedies. The CMA will similarly have access to powers (under the Enterprise Act 2002) to deal with anti-competitive behaviour in UK markets. Decisions on individual cases will be a matter for the CMA.
	Following the Competition Commission's recommendation in its groceries market investigation, the Government has established a Groceries Code Adjudicator which focuses on contract issues between supermarkets and suppliers.

Trade Missions

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department records on the (a) the levels of satisfaction of businesses participating in trade missions and delegations and (b) reasons why businesses chose not to participate in such missions and delegations; what steps he plans to take following assessment of that information; and if he will publish in anonymised form the data so collected.

Michael Fallon: Economic research and analysis in UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) contributes to the development of the portfolio of UKTI services. The research tends either to be concerned with estimating the benefits of trade and investment or with barriers to such activity rather than why a specific service has not been taken up. All reports and data are published on the UKTI website.
	UKTI monitors the performance and effectiveness of its trade services through the use of its Performance and Impact Monitoring Surveys (PIMS). The satisfaction scores for missions in the most recent period (covering the 12 months to December 2012), suggests that 84% of clients reported to be very satisfied, or fairly satisfied with the missions. Results are readily available on the UKTI website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey.html
	To assist in benchmarking the effectiveness of UKTI’s services, UKTI conducts an annual survey with businesses that do not use its services. The purpose of these surveys is to compare the experience of companies who do not use our support together with the outcomes of their activities. More information can be found at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey/nonusersurveys.html
	UKTI also receives information and comments from industry bodies through their participation in UKTI's Sector Advisory Groups and Trade Challenge Partners Programme. These bodies advise UKTI on a number of issues including feedback on UKTI's trade mission programme. Additionally, although not systematic, feedback is received from users in response to marketing campaigns for events and missions.
	UKTI uses the information received from these various sources to improve the quality and satisfaction ratings of events and missions and to both expand its reach to new companies who are unaware of its services (including trade missions) and increase the return rate of attendees reusing its services.

UK Trade and Investment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what training UK Trade and Investment staff receive to ensure they identify potential markets and specific business opportunities for UK manufacturers.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) staff receive training relevant to their role for effective and successful delivery to business. Regional customer-facing staff and locally employed staff in the overseas network are recruited for their private sector business experience. All staff including those in UKTI headquarters can access a range of training programmes specifically aimed at upskilling staff to better assist UK companies, either delivered directly by an external training provider or through Civil Service Learning.

UK Trade and Investment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether UK Trade and Investment staff are remunerated through bonuses based on the increase in UK exports following trade missions and delegations.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff (including those with contractual arrangements) employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	UKTI utilises the performance management and reward arrangements of the relevant Departments in order to set individual objectives and recognise achievement.

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Michael Fallon: This Department and its agencies provide a range of services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has a current Welsh language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Jo Swinson: This Government is fully committed to the Welsh language and fully committed to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand for them.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has a current Welsh language scheme, which was endorsed by the then Welsh Language Board and adopted on 28 May 2009.
	The Department reviews activities under its Welsh language scheme each year when preparing its annual report on the scheme to the Welsh Language Board/Welsh Language Commissioner.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Castes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will take steps to launch the proposed public consultation on caste discrimination before the summer recess in order to enable the necessary legislative changes before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Helen Grant: We expect to be able to outline the timetable shortly.

Castes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the exceptions are mentioned in the letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women and Equalities to Lord Avebury of 25 June 2013 regarding the proposed research on caste by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Helen Grant: There are provisions and exceptions within the Equality Act 2010 that apply to aspects of race, such as immigration, that may not be appropriate in relation to caste. These are clearly sensitive issues and before we consult on and seek to define exceptions, we need to know more about how 'caste' fits into the race characteristic within the Act.

Castes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether the Government plans to run the Equality and Human Rights Commission research on caste in parallel with the Caste Discrimination consultation for the purpose of ensuring there are not unnecessary delays to implementation.

Helen Grant: Among the statutory responsibilities of the Equality and Human Rights Commission is a requirement for it to advise on the effectiveness of equality law. The Commission has already indicated in its Business Plan for 2013-14 that it intends to undertake research into caste issues in this country and make recommendations. The complexity of caste means that it is vital that preparatory work for the public consultation is able to draw on the Equality and Human Rights Commission's research as a key, independent source.

Equalities Ministerial Group

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities when the inter-ministerial group on equalities last met.

Helen Grant: holding answer 8 July 2013
	The Inter-Ministerial Group on Equalities (IMGE) last met on 7 February 2012 to consider progress on the Government's equality strategy. A report (“Building a Fairer Britain: Progress Report”) was subsequently published on 22 May 2012.
	The IMGE is a mechanism for monitoring the overall effectiveness of the Government's equality strategy; however, implementation of the strategy is overseen by other relevant ministerial groups and committees. For example, the Minister for Women and Equalities is chair of a bespoke ministerial group, which includes members of the IMGE, which has been established to drive delivery of the Women's Business Council recommendations. This work will significantly contribute to the aim set out in the equality strategy of creating a fair and flexible labour market.

Females

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent steps she has taken to ensure that women fulfil their potential.

Helen Grant: We are taking strong action to ensure women are able to fulfil their potential. The Children and Families Bill currently going through Parliament will extend the right to request flexible working to all by 2014 and encourage shared parenting through a new system of parental leave. Measures taken in the Budget 2013 will mean that more than a million low-paid women will be lifted out of income tax and families will get more help with their child care costs.
	As a result of the recommendations made by Lord Davies, women now account for 17.4% of FTSE 100, and 13.8% of FTSE 250 board directorships, up from 12.5% and 7.8% respectively in February 2011. As of this month, there are now only five all-male boards in the FTSE 100. We are also working with employers to ensure greater transparency on issues such as pay and progression through ‘Think, Act, Report’. Over 110 leading businesses have signed up to this initiative, covering over 1.8 million employees.
	In addition, the Women's Business Council, set up by Government in 2012, published its report last month with recommendations focusing on the key areas they have identified where girls and women face particular barriers to fulfilling their potential, from making informed choices made about education through to ensuring the knowledge and skills of older women are not lost to the economy. Government has published its response to the report which, alongside a series of early actions for Government, announced that the Secretary of State for Women and Equalities will be working with ministerial colleagues to produce a Government action plan. The report and the Government response can be found at:
	www.womensbusinesscouncil.dcms.gov.uk
	Additionally, Ministers have recently spoken at events about the need for more women to apply and take on public appointment roles and are working to ensure that this happens.

Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the Government Equalities Office's staffing levels were in May (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and what these levels will be at the end of the current Spending Review period.

Helen Grant: In May 2010 the Government Equalities Office was a separate Department. It was subsequently moved into the Home Office, where corporate services were largely provided for the GEO by the Home Office, and most recently into DCMS where all corporate services for GEO will be provided by DCMS. It is not possible to provide precise like for like figures, but the figures provided as follows show the overall staffing levels devoted to delivering GEO objectives:
	(a)May 2010: 123 staff, including 16 working in the Women's National Commission and an estimated 27 providing corporate services;
	(b) May 2011: 111 staff, including an estimated 20 providing corporate services
	(c) May 2012: 120 staff, including an estimated 15 providing corporate services
	(d)May 2013: 97 staff, including an estimated 9 providing corporate services
	Planned staffing levels at the end of the Spending Review period are a core GEO policy team of 50 policy staff with corporate and accountability services being provided by DCMS. The level of corporate and accountability resource to be devoted to GEO is difficult to estimate but on current plans would be in the region of 15-20 people. This includes a significantly wider range of services than the corporate service figures provided for earlier years.

Women’s National Commission

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what arrangements she has put in place to enable her to engage directly with women on issues affecting them following the winding-up of the Women's National Commission.

Helen Grant: Following the closure of the Women's National Commission in December 2010, the Government conducted a national consultation on engagement with women. Its response, “Strengthening Women's Voices in Government” was published in November 2011 together with a written ministerial statement. The Government has committed to an engagement programme with women which prioritises direct ministerial contact rather than through an intermediary non-elected body. The programme is managed from within the Government Equalities Office and works with other Government Departments and the devolved administrations. Its activities include:
	A programme of ministerial roundtables: all three Ministers for Women and Equalities hold regular roundtables discussions with individual women and women's organisations.
	Bi-monthly women's engagement newsletter: our online newsletter is sent to over 2,000 organisations that represent women, with a combined potential reach of 1 million women
	Stakeholder meetings: there are frequent meetings to consult and engage with women on areas of particular priority. For example, the Women's Business Council has held a series of consultative meetings, and a dedicated NGO Liaison Group is established each year to ensure close co-ordination in the run-up to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
	The new approach is well established, understood and largely appreciated by our stakeholders. Over the coming year we plan to increase our reach to those women who are under-represented through the current channels, through a programme of social and digital engagement.
	Links:
	Women's Engagement Newsletter:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-engagement-newsletter
	Consultation response: Strengthening Women's Voices:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/publication-of-consultation-response-strengthening-womens-voices-in-government-wms

Youth Work

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much funding the Government Equalities Office allocated for youth work in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Department of Culture, Media & Sport, which includes the Government Equalities Office, does not hold data in such a way that the amount specifically spent on youth work can be extracted.

EDUCATION

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Matthew Hancock: The Department promotes apprenticeship opportunities through our apprenticeship provider, learndirect, and uses the National Apprenticeship Service to advertise opportunities online.
	The Government has also started the civil service fast track apprenticeship scheme to bring in 100 apprentices by September 2013, akin to the graduate fast stream. 15 new apprentices will begin work in the Department for Education under this scheme in September 2013 and we plan to increase this number over time.

Culture: Education

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to promote the Government's Cultural Education Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: ‘Cultural education' was published on 5 July. The document sets out the Government's ambitions for cultural education and provides an overview of the programmes and opportunities open to children and young people in England.
	The Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries held a cultural, roundtable on 5 June with a number of organisations in the arts sector to discuss the forthcoming document. Attendees included representatives from: the National Portrait Gallery, the Imperial War Museum, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Barbican, Classic FM, English Heritage, the British Film Institute, Arts Council England and head teachers. On 5 July the Secretary of State, wrote to these organisations and others, including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sadler's Wells and the Lyric Theatre, notifying them of the document's publication. He also wrote to the Chair of the Education Select Committee and Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, and issued a joint press notice with the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries.
	The 'Cultural education' document can be found on the GOV.UK website(1). Its release was advertised through DFE social media channels, including to 13,500 DFE followers on Facebook and over 77,000 followers on Twitter.
	(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cultural-education

Education: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which capital projects for the development of academies, schools and colleges his Department has supported with what level of funding in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England since May 2010.

David Laws: Since 2010-11 the Department has provided capital support of (a) £30 million in Barnsley, (b) £470 million in South Yorkshire and (c) £20,618 million in England(1). The Department for Education allocates a significant amount of capital funding to local authorities so they have the freedom to decide their school investment needs according to local priorities.
	The Department does not collect information on how these funds have been used. As such the Department does not hold complete information on investment at a constituency level.
	(1) These figures include capital grant and supported borrowing allocations made to schools and local authorities. They also include provisional figures for 2013/14.
	South Yorkshire comprised of aggregated figures for Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster, and Rotherham areas.

Financial Services: Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to signpost teachers to existing resources, advice and support available for delivering financial education in the curriculum;
	(2)  how his Department is working with (a) subject experts, (b) educationalists and (c) providers of initial teacher training on the inclusion of financial capability components within the new curriculum;
	(3)  what training is currently available for teachers to prepare them for the introduction of financial education into the curriculum; and what new additional training in this area is planned.

Elizabeth Truss: As a general principle, schools themselves are best placed to decide what support they will need to support their staff to teach the new national curriculum. As part of the consultation, however, we asked specifically for views on who was best placed to develop resources to support schools to teach it successfully. Responses and suggestions from financial education experts, including on how the Department might assist by signposting existing resources, are currently being considered. We will provide further information in due course.
	The Government do not prescribe the content of initial teacher training courses. Providers must ensure that their programmes enable all trainees to demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards. This includes preparing trainees for teaching new or revised aspects of the national curriculum, such as financial education.

Financial Services: Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to extend financial education into the National Colleges for Teaching and Leadership and in teaching school clusters.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government recognises the importance of financial education, as reflected in the draft national curriculum programmes of study that are currently available for consultation.
	Although we do not prescribe the content of initial teacher training courses, providers must ensure that their programmes enable all trainees to achieve qualified teacher status by demonstrating that they meet the appropriate standards. This includes preparing trainees to deliver the appropriate curriculum for their chosen subject and phase.
	School leaders are best placed to decide what arrangements are needed to support their staff to deliver the new national curriculum.
	Teaching school alliances can provide additional support. within these clusters, teaching schools will be able to respond to the needs of each school, and if they identify a particular need for teacher or leadership development, for example with regards to financial education, they will be able to respond appropriately.

Financial Services: Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the value of extending financial education to the primary school curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government considered a range of proposals on how to make finance education compulsory in the national curriculum. With regard to the primary school curriculum, our assessment was that children should focus on mastering arithmetic, including arithmetic with money and percentages, so they have the necessary foundations to be taught financial literacy as part of the citizenship curriculum from ages 11 to 16.
	We are also planning to strengthen the secondary curriculum and GCSE qualification in mathematics so young people will understand concepts such as compound interest, which will enable them to make sound financial decisions.

Free School Meals

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils attending (a) Church of England, (b) Catholic, (c) other denominational or faith and (d) other maintained (i) secondary and (ii) primary schools in (A) Greater London and (B) nationally claimed free school meals for the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: Data on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is collected via the school census and the latest available data is for January 2013. The following table sets out the proportion of pupils that were known to be eligible and claiming free school meals in state-funded primary and secondary schools in London and England by religious denomination of the school.
	
		
			 Proportion of pupils(1, 2, 3 )known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4) 
			 Percentage 
			  State-funded primary schools(5) State-funded secondary schools(6) 
			 Religious character London England London England 
			 Church of England 21.4 13.3 23.6 15.1 
			 Roman Catholic 17.4 15.9 17.6 14.6 
			 Other faith 10.1 14.1 23.2 19.5 
			 No faith recorded 27.6 21.3 26.8 16.5 
			 (1) Based on headcount of pupils of compulsory school age and full-time pupils aged under five. (2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. (3) Includes boarders. (4) Proportion of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals based on headcount of pupils of compulsory school age and full-time pupils aged under five. (5) Includes middle deemed primary schools. (6) Includes middle deemed secondary schools. Source: School Census, January 2013.

Primary Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many state-funded primary schools there are; and how many such schools there are with (a) up to 100, (b) between 101 and 200, (c) between 201 and 300, (d) between 301 and 400, (e) between 401 and 500, (f) between 501 and 600, (g) between 601 and 700, (h) between 701 and 800, (i) between 801 and 900, (j) between 901 and 1,000, (k) between 1,001 and 1,100, (l) between 1,101 and 1,200, (m) between 1,201 and 1,300, (n) between 1,301 and 1,400, (o) between 1,401 and 1,500, (p) between 1,501 and 1,600 and (q) more than 1,601 pupils.

David Laws: Data on the number of pupils in each school are collected in the School Census. The latest data are for January 2013 and were published in the Statistical Release about the School Census on 20 June 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013
	This has been placed in the House Library.

Pupils: Ethnic Groups

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 17 March 2011, Official Report, columns 606-10W, what proportion of pupils attending (a) Church of England, (b) Catholic, (c) other denominational or faith and (d) other maintained (i) secondary and (ii) primary schools in (A) Greater London and (B) nationally were from each ethnic group in the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: Data on the number of pupils in each ethnic group who attend different types of faith schools is collected in the School Census. The latest available data are for January 2013.
	A table including the requested information has been placed in the House Library.

School Meals

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to address the needs of children who require gluten-free meals in schools that do not allow their pupils to bring in packed lunches.

Elizabeth Truss: This is not a matter for central Government. Head teachers and school governors are well placed to know how best to accommodate the needs of children with specific dietary needs.
	We would expect schools to work with parents, setting out their objectives and gaining their support for removing packed lunches.

Schools: Construction

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new schools have been built in each (a) local education authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in England since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: holding answer 15 July 2013
	The Government provides local authorities with capital funding for schools through maintenance funding and basic need funding for new school places. Since May 2010, £4.2 billion has been allocated to local authorities in maintenance funding, £4.3 billion has been allocated in basic need funding and we have set up a Targeted Basic Need Programme.
	Local authorities can spend this money on new school buildings but the Department does not collect this data centrally. Information on the impact of this funding in each local authority and parliamentary constituency could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many state-funded secondary schools there are; and how many such schools there are with (a) up to 100, (b) between 101 and 200, (c) between 201 and 300, (d) between 301 and 400, (e) between 401 and 500, (f) between 501 and 600, (g) between 601 and 700, (h) between 701 and 800, (i) between 801 and 900, (j) between 901 and 1,000, (k) between 1,001 and 1,100, (l) between 1,101 and 1,200, (m) between 1,201 and 1,300, (n) between 1,301 and 1,400, (o) between 1,401 and 1,500, (p) between 1,501 and 1,600 and (q) more than 1,601 pupils.

David Laws: Data on the number of pupils in each school are collected in the School Census. The latest data are for January 2013 and were published in the Statistical Release about the School Census on 20 June 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013
	This has been placed in the House Library.

Teachers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teacher training entrants did not gain qualified teacher status within 12 months of beginning initial teacher training in each year since 2010.

David Laws: The National College for Teaching and Learning (NCTL) publishes data about initial teacher training in England annually(1). The latest published data are for the academic year 2010/11.
	The data show that of the 28,050 trainees who started a one-year programme in the autumn of 2010, 2,830 (10%) did not gain qualified teacher status by the end of the academic year (July 2011).
	
		
			 Academic year Proportion of trainees engaged in a one-year course, who did not gain qualified teacher status within 12 months (%) 
			 2008/09 12 
			 2009/10 11 
			 2010/11 10 
			 2011/12 (1)— 
			 (1) Data will be published in due course 
		
	
	We have raised the bar for entry to initial teacher training courses to ensure that all trainees who start a course are equipped to complete it.
	9,200 trainees began an initial teacher training programme lasting longer than 12 months and are expected to gain qualified teacher status in a later academic year.
	(1) The initial teacher training performance profiles:
	http://dataprovision.education.gov.uk/public/page.htm?to-page=publicOpencmsStaticPage&cms-page-id=tta_public/en/publicAdditionalReports/sectorLevelReports.html

Work Experience

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have withdrawn provision for work experience for 14 to 16-year-olds in each year since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: We do not hold the information requested because schools have never been required to provide information about pre-16 work experience.
	For the first time, from September 2013, it will be a requirement for schools and colleges to record work experience by 16 to 18-year-olds as part of Government plans to expand the provision of work experience for this age group. This information will, therefore, be available in the future.

TREASURY

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010;
	(2)  what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies.

Sajid Javid: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Age group (years old at the time of offering apprenticeship) 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 (a) 16 to 18 0 0 5 0 
			 (b) 19 to21 0 0 0 0 
			 (c) 22 to 26 0 0 0 2 
		
	
	In 2012 and 2013, HM Treasury created apprenticeships by recruiting into vacancies that already existed in HM Treasury, advertising via the National Apprenticeship Service. By bringing apprentices into existing vacancies, the strategy was to create the prospect of employment in the longer term if the posts continued to exist, and the apprentices successfully completed their apprenticeship. There are currently 6 Range Bs (AA/AO equivalent), who have studied or are studying Level 2 NVQ in Business and Administration, of whom five have been offered employment on a permanent basis. More recently, one higher level apprenticeship at Range C (EO equivalent), who is studying the Advanced IT user qualification has begun. HM Treasury continues to actively support the Government Apprenticeship scheme and will continue to look for further apprenticeship opportunities in the future.

Bank of England: Public Appointments

Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women are on the shortlist of candidates for deputy governor of the Bank of England; and how many women are on the selection panel.

Sajid Javid: Applications for the position of deputy governor for financial stability closed on 15 July 2013. The composition of the selection panel was outlined in the application pack and the process for selecting a preferred candidate is ongoing.
	The Government is committed to appointing serious, knowledgeable and experienced candidates with the appropriate qualifications and skills to sit on the Bank of England’s decision-making bodies.
	Appointments should be made on merit. Diversity is always an important consideration and the Government continues to encourage women to apply for vacancies.

Bank Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people do not have a bank current account;
	(2)  how many people who have been discharged from bankruptcy in the last 12 months do not have a current bank account.

Sajid Javid: The Government do not collect this data.
	The Treasury does not hold the requested information on the number of people who have been discharged from bankruptcy in the last 12 months but do not have a bank account.

Cash Dispensing

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the number of automatic free-of-charge money dispensing machines which have been removed from communities in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) each region of England in each of the last four years;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the number of automatic money dispensing machines which operate only by payment of a fee or charge which have been installed in communities in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) each region of England in each of the last four years.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to carry out an assessment of the number of automatic money dispensing machines in the UK.

Child Benefit: EU Nationals

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence nationals of other EEA states are required to show in order to demonstrate proof of entitlement to child benefit in respect of a child resident (a) in the UK and (b) in another EEA member state; and in respect of what proportion of such applications such proof was requested in the last financial year.

Sajid Javid: An EEA national is required to provide evidence that they have been allocated, or applied for, a national insurance number. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use this to carry out a variety of checks including whether they have a right to reside. If the child being claimed for is living in the UK they are required to provide the child's birth certificate and one other form of evidence of birth—this usually being the child's passport. If the child they are responsible for is resident in another EEA country, as well as providing a birth certificate, checks are carried out with the family benefits authorities in the child's country of residence to confirm the composition of the family and whether family benefits are in payment there.
	All claims falling into the above categories are subject to these checks.

Children: Day Care

George Eustice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of extending free childcare for all three and four year olds to 17.5 hours a week in 2015-16.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 16 July 2013
	Extending free child care for all three and four-year-olds to 17.5 hours a week in 2015-16 would cost approximately £390 million. This does not include Barnett consequentials.

Credit Unions

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with the Association of British Credit Unions to broaden the range of financial services provided by them to their members in areas of social deprivation.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	DWP is providing funds of up to £38 million to support credit unions. A contract has been awarded to the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) to develop the sector.
	This will support participating credit unions to become financially sustainable while offering an increased range of financial services to a million more consumers, many of whom reside in areas of social deprivation.
	Since the commencement of the contract on 1 May 2013 my officials have held numerous meetings with ABCUL, both informally and as part of the formal commercial governance.

Financial Services

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Financial Conduct Authority redress scheme for businesses mis-sold interest rate hedging products.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority's review into the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products is now under way. Each bank has appointed independent reviewers who will assess each case to determine whether a customer was mis-sold these products, and if so, what redress is due. The FCA has recommended that, where possible, banks complete their full review within six months.

Future Jobs Fund

George Eustice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of restoring the Future Jobs Fund in 2015-16.

Sajid Javid: The total programme cost of the Future Jobs Fund was £480 million in 2010-11. Grown in line with forecasts for general inflation in the economy, this would cost £530 million in 2015-16.

Grant Thornton

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008.

Sajid Javid: The Department has spent a total of £1,321,604 in relation to contracts with Grant Thornton since 2008 to 2012, a breakdown of these costs can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			 2008 47,878 
			 2009 173,103 
			 2010 322,888 
			 2011 311,523 
			 2012 466,212 
		
	
	The majority of spend with Grant Thornton has been in connection with independent advisory services in relation to financial stability, Equitable Life and Project OSCAR.
	By taking stronger control of our consulting and temporary labour bills this Government has saved over £1.6 billion in 2012-13.
	Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.

Green Construction Board

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he plans to make available for the Green Construction Board in 2015-16.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and as Minister with responsibility for construction.
	This Department is yet to allocate budgets for 2015-16, so I cannot yet confirm the funding to be made available to the Green Construction Board.

Income Tax

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Harlow of 14 January 2013, Official Report, columns 556-7W on income tax, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing an income tax rate of 10p on all earnings between £9,440 and £12,230 in the fiscal year 2015-16.

David Gauke: The cost to the Exchequer of reintroducing an income tax rate of 10p on all earnings in the same band as the starting rate for savings is estimated to be around £8.0 billion in 2015-16.
	This estimate is based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.

Mortgages

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) number of households in mortgage arrears, (b) number of repossessions and (c) number of households benefiting from the Mortgage Rescue Scheme (i) in each region of England, (ii) in each London borough and (iii) in total in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on (a) number of mortgage arrears, (b) number of repossessions (i) in each region of England, (ii) by London borough as these can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Our figures only include repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs, and do not indicate how many properties have actually been repossessed.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes the total numbers of mortgage repossessions in the UK. The following table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders being made for the (a) number of mortgage arrears, (b) number of repossessions in the UK in each of the last three years. These data are not broken down by region.
	Information on numbers of households benefiting from the Mortgage Rescue Scheme is available on the DCLG website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-repossession-activity
	and the Homes and Communities Agency website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/mortgage_rescue_guidance
	
		
			 Number of mortgages in arrears and repossessions in the UK, 2010 to 2012 
			  Number of mortgages in arrears Number of properties taken into possession 
			 2010 260,300 38,500 
			 2011 239,200 37,300 
			 2012 235,700 33,900

NHS: Redundancy Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in the North West of England since taking office;
	(2)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in the North East of England since taking office;
	(3)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in Yorkshire and the Humber since taking office;
	(4)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in the West Midlands since taking office;
	(5)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in the East Midlands since taking office;
	(6)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in the East of England since taking office;
	(7)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in South East England since taking office;
	(8)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in South West England since taking office;
	(9)  on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees based in Greater London since taking office.

Danny Alexander: holding answers 1 and 2 July 2013
	While the Treasury is required to approve all special severance payments, as the primary responsibility for making these settlements falls to departments, it is the responsibility of those bodies to keep records of them. The Treasury does not therefore hold the information in the format requested and could provide such information only at a disproportionate cost.
	I have written to the hon. Gentleman in response to his Point of Order of 25 June 2013, a copy of which I have placed in the Library of the House.

Ofgem

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the full cost to the Exchequer of abolishing Ofgem and replacing it with a new regulator in the fiscal year 2015-16.

Sajid Javid: Ofgem fulfils a number of statutory duties to enforce competition law and to protect consumers. Any replacement body would need to take on these functions. In addition a change to a new regulator would be likely to incur transitional costs associated with any staffing changes, establishment of a new organisation, premises and so forth. These costs would be above the ongoing running costs inherited from Ofgem.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which Departments the UK's official development assistance (ODA) budget will be allocated in 2015-16; and how much each Department will administer.

Danny Alexander: In 2015-16, ODA will be allocated to Departments as follows:
	
		
			 Department 2015-15 ODA (£ million) 
			 DFID 10,551 
			 FCO 273 
			 DH 20 
			 MOD 5 
			 BIS 100 
			 DEFRA (International Climate Fund) 40 
			 DECC (International Climate Fund) 329 
			 DECC (Non-International Climate Fund) 6 
			 HO 115 
			 DWP 4

Public Expenditure

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to his Department was of the commissioning, production and dissemination of the cartoon video published on his Department's website setting out the spending review strategy in June 2013.

Sajid Javid: The video, ‘What is the Spending Round’, was produced within the Department using a software package which cost £16. To date this video has been viewed by 3,300 people. There was no other cost to the Department m commissioning, producing or disseminating this video.

Public Expenditure

George Eustice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in 2015-16 of restoring police funding to the level it would have been without the decisions made in the 2010 spending review and the 2013 spending round.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the full cost to the Exchequer of restoring spending on legal aid to the level it would have been without the spending rounds of 2010 and 2013 in fiscal year 2015-16.

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the full cost to the Exchequer of restoring funding to the Criminal Justice System, by agency, to the level it would have been without the spending rounds of both 2010 and 2013 in the fiscal year 2015-16.

Danny Alexander: The amount of Exchequer funding that would be required to make spending in 2015-16 on legal aid, the police and other Criminal Justice System agencies equivalent to the 2010-11 baselines for those agencies in real terms is estimated as follows:
	
		
			 Agency £ million 
			 Police 2,450 
			 Legal aid agency (criminal and civil legal aid) 990 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 210 
			 Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (criminal courts, civil courts and tribunals combined) 380 
			 National Offender Management Service 1,070 
			 Youth Justice Board 160

Railways: Finance

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer Pursuant to the oral answer from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Bristol West of 25 June 2013, Official Report, column 151, on infrastructure investment, what the evidential basis was for the statement that the Government is undertaking the largest investment in the railways since Victorian times.

Danny Alexander: This Government is spending more than £64 billion on the railway in the 10 years between 2010 and 2020.
	This sum includes the c£16 billion recently committed to capital expenditure in HS2 between 2015-16 and 2020-21, and the c£1 5 billion funding provided to Crossrail. It also includes over £32 billion support for the rail network from 2010, projected out to 2019—which includes support for the delivery of the over £9 billion programme of enhancements announced July 2012.
	The British railways developed in the Victorian era and early 20th century into over a hundred medium to large sized railway undertakings and the majority of these were grouped into four main privately-owned companies in 1923. Each of these companies had its own investment plans and cycles. These four companies were merged and nationalised in 1947. Prior to the publication of the Rail Investment Strategy (RIS) in July 2012, the only comparable national rail investment plan since the Victorian era was the 1955 British Rail modernisation plan.
	The Government judges the current plans to be a larger scale investment than the 1955 plan for the following reasons:
	The 1955 plan covered the whole rail industry including rolling stock and operations, whereas the RIS covers just rail infrastructure;
	The enhancement component of the 1955 plan at today's values is calculated to be less than £15 billion; and
	Delivery of the RIS will take just five years, whereas the 1955 plan included improvements which slipped into the 1970s or were never delivered.

Revenue and Customs: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employees of HM Revenue and Customs resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and how much this has cost his Department;
	(2)  how many employees of HM Revenue and Customs resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse of such schemes has been.

David Gauke: HMRC is committed to avoiding compulsory redundancy (CR) as far as it is possible to do so.
	Under Cabinet Office protocols for managing staff surpluses all HMRC staff leaving under CR terms have first been offered and declined voluntary redundancy (VR) terms. To date this approach has ensured that all staff who have left HMRC on CR terms have acquiesced to compulsory redundancy either because accepting CR over VR terms has not financially disadvantaged them or they have declined a reasonable alternative redeployment solution in favour of CR terms.
	Since May 2010 one member of HMRC staff employed at an office in Scotland has left under CR terms, at a cost of £6,686.

Tax Allowances: Social Enterprises

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on confirming the outcome of consultation on a new tax relief to encourage investment in social enterprises, at the autumn statement 2013.

David Gauke: The consultation on the social investment tax relief closes on 6 September 2013. The Government will set out the outcome of the consultation once all responses have been considered.

Taxation: Construction

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of subcontractors operating within the Construction Industry scheme who did not claim any deduction for the costs of materials, plant and equipment and provided only their own labour in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: An estimate of the number of subcontractors providing labour only has not been made for the previous five-year period.

Unemployment: Young People

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of young people unemployed for over a year in financial year 2015-16 according to (a) official claimant count and (b) International Labour Organisation forecasts.

Sajid Javid: The Government do not publish unemployment forecasts broken down by age, or duration on benefit. The latest labour market statistics recorded 265,000 16 to 24-year-olds unemployed for over a year, and 73,100 18 to 24-year-olds on the Claimant Count for over a year.
	To tackle long-term unemployment, the Government launched the Work programme in June 2011 that will provide personalised support to an expected 3.3 million claimants. The £1 billion Youth Contract will also support up to 500,000 young people into employment and education opportunities.

VAT

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue accrued to the Exchequer from VAT in 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of revenue accruing in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Sajid Javid: The revenue accrued from VAT in 2012-13 is £100.4 billion. The Office for National Statistics publishes accrued receipts in the Public Sector Finances here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/public-sector-finances/may-2013/tsd---public-sector-finances.html
	The forecast for revenue accruing from VAT in 2013-14 is £103.3 billion and for 2014-15 is £107.2 billion. This can be found m the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility here:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2013/

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many families in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received working tax credits in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(2)  how many people have received working tax credit payments in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(3)  how many people have received child tax credit payments in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since that scheme's inception.
	(4)  how much money has been overpaid to working tax credit recipients in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(5)  how much money has been overpaid to child tax credit recipients in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(6)  how many families in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received tax credits in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(7)  how many families in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received child tax credits in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(8)  how many people in work in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received working tax credits in each year since that scheme's inception;
	(9)  how many people in work in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received (i) tax credits and (ii) child tax credits in each year since those schemes inception.

Sajid Javid: The information is as follows:
	PQ 0955W, 0961W and 0962W
	Information on the number of families benefiting from tax credits, child tax credit (CTC) and working tax credit (WTC) for the geographical areas requested is available in the HM Revenue and Customs snapshot publication “Personal Tax Credits: Provisional Statistics—Geographical Statistics”. Data for April and December each year from April 2009 to April 2013 are available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/prov-geog-stats.htm
	Data for years 2004 and 2008 are available here:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	PQ 0959W and 0960W
	Information on the number of tax credits awards where there is an overpayment as at 5 April 2012 is published in the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2011-12. Supplement on Payments 2011-12”. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-main-stats.htm#2
	It is not possible to split overpayments into parts attributable to CTC and WTC but table 4 in this publication gives the level of overpayments at 5 April 2012 split by profile position (that is, whether the family is out of work with children, in work with children, in work without children etc) at UK level.
	Equivalent publications for previous years are available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-main.htm
	HMRC also publishes information on overpayments for lower geographical areas in the publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2011-12. Supplement on Payments 2011-12. Geographical Analysis” at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-geog-stats.htm#1
	Archived publications for previous years are available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-geog.htm
	Earlier years would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Table 1: Finalised awards overpaid at 5 April by position on profile at that date—North East 
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Terminated awards 13.6 12.2 10.8 15.9 22.3 
			       
			 Positive entitlement at 5 April:      
			 Not in work with children 0.3 3.4 5.4 5.3 7.1 
			       
			 In work with children:      
			 WTC and CTC 1.5 11.5 19.4 22.0 22.5 
			 CTC only, more than family element 0.8 3.9 6.0 6.1 7.5 
			 CTC only, family element 0.3 1.2 1.8 1.6 1.7 
			 CTC only, less than family element — 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 
			       
			 In work, no children (WTC only) 0.3 1.5 3.5 2.2 3.0 
			       
			 Entitlement at 5 April but tapered to zero 0.2 0.9 1.3 1.7 2.8 
			       
			 Award ceased during year 26.0 6.5 8.4 10.1 10.4 
			       
			 Total all families 43.2 41.3 56.9 64.8 77.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Finalised awards overpaid at 5 April by position on profile at that date—South Tyneside 
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Terminated awards 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.6 
			       
			 Positive entitlement at 5 April:      
			 Not in work with children — 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 
			       
			 In work with children:      
			 WTC and CTC 0.1 0.6 1.1 1.2 1.3 
			 CTC only, more than family element — 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 
			 CTC only, family element — 0.1 0.1 — 0.1 
			 CTC only, less than family element — — — — — 
			       
			 In work, no children (WTC only) — 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			       
			 Entitlement at 5 April but tapered to zero — 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 
			       
			 Award ceased during year 1.6 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.7 
			       
			 Total all families 2.5 2.4 3.3 3.9 5.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Finalised awards overpaid at 5 April by position on profile at that date—Jarrow 
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Terminated awards 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.7 
			       
			 Positive entitlement at 5 April:      
			 Not in work with children — 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			       
			 In work with children:      
			 WTC and CTC 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6 
			 CTC only, more than family element — 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 CTC only, family element — 0.1 — — 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			 CTC only, less than family element — — — — — 
			       
			 In work, no children (WTC only) — — 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			       
			 Entitlement at 5 April but tapered to zero — — 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			       
			 Award ceased during year 0.9 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 
			       
			 Total all families 1.4 1.3 1.7 2.1 2.5 
		
	
	The value of overpayments, both at UK level and in the areas requested, has increased over the last five years. However, as a proportion of total entitlement it has stayed fairly stable. Policy changes announced in Budget 2010 and Spending Review 2010 will have increased the level and number of overpayments. In particular, the decrease in the income rises disregard from £25,000 to £10,000 will have increased overpayments in 2011-12. In addition, increased error and fraud interventions by HMRC may have increased overpayments as well as identifying error and fraud.
	HMRC’s strategy for reducing tax credit overpayments is to continue to focus on getting it right first time. We are developing a greater understanding of the causes of overpayments and continue to re-engineer products and processes to reduce the amount of debt entering the system.
	PQ 0956W, 0957W, 0963W and 0964W
	The information provided is based on snapshots of tax credits awards as at April where possible, and will have been liable to change once awards were finalised. For 2003-04, January was the closest published month to April 2004.
	“People” are defined as adults in a family unit benefiting from working tax credit and/or child tax credit as relevant. A family can have one or two adults present.
	“People in work” are defined as an adult in a family eligible for working tax credit, who works 16 or more hours a week.
	
		
			 Table 4: Number of people benefiting from working tax credit by month 
			 Thousand 
			  Jarrow South Tyneside North East UK 
			 January 2004 12.4 22.6 381.6 7,846.2 
			 April 2005 12.5 22.6 386.0 8,016.7 
			 April 2006 12.3 22.1 378.4 7,908.2 
			 April 2007 12.5 22.5 378.8 7,935.6 
			 April 2008 12.6 22.5 372.0 7,916.2 
			 April 2009 12.5 22.1 366.6 7,874.4 
			 April 2010 12.5 22.2 370.2 8,027.8 
			 April 2011 12.8 22.4 372.9 8,153.9 
			 April 2012 10.4 18.2 315.6 6,938.2 
			 April 2013 7.0 12.9 222.9 5,045.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 5: Number of people benefiting from child tax credit by month 
			 Thousand 
			  Jarrow South Tyneside North East UK 
			 January 2004 12.3 22.7 379.9 8,006.2 
			 April 2005 12.6 23.3 397.1 8,485.5 
			 April 2006 12.7 23.4 398.1 8,543.4 
			 April 2007 12.9 24.0 403.4 8,673.4 
			 April 2008 13.0 24.1 401.6 8,713.2 
			 April 2009 13.3 24.4 402.9 8,808.5 
			 April 2010 13.5 25.1 409.2 9,009.0 
			 April 2011 13.7 24.9 410.9 9,110.7 
			 April 2012 11.6 21.0 356.5 7,949.4 
			 April 2013 8.3 16,2 272.2 6,158.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 6: Number of people in work benefiting from working tax credit by month 
			 Thousand 
			  Jarrow South Tyneside North East UK 
			 January 2004 10.4 18.7 312.1 6,294.1 
			 April 2005 10.6 18.8 314.9 6,401.8 
			 April 2006 10.3 18.4 309.9 6,304.4 
			 April 2007 10.6 18.7 310.5 6,330.5 
			 April 2008 10.7 18.6 305.3 6,326.1 
			 April 2009 10.7 18.3 300.5 6,291.4 
			 April 2010 10.6 18.2 303.7 6,405.1 
			 April 2011 10.8 18.4 306.2 6,496.5 
			 April 2012 8.7 14.7 254.5 5,429.4 
			 April 2013 5.6 10.2 177.1 3,902.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 7: Number of people in work benefiting from child tax credit by month 
			 Thousand 
			  Jarrow South Tyneside North East UK 
			 January 2004 9.8 17.6 295.4 5,089.5 
			 April 2005 9.7 17.2 291.6 6,097.2 
			 April 2006 9.6 16.8 285.4 5,960.8 
			 April 2007 9.7 17.0 283.8 5,939.5 
			 April 2008 9.8 16.7 279.0 5,919.3 
			 April 2009 9.6 16.2 270.4 5,803.0 
			 April 2010 9.4 16.0 269.1 5,812.4 
			 April 2011 9.4 15.9 268.8 5,858.2 
			 April 2012 7.4 12.4 218.0 4,803.2 
			 April 2013 4.6 8.2 142.3 3,290.9 
		
	
	The Government is taking steps to ensure that spending on welfare is sustainable by making sure that work pays, while also supporting those most in need. It is rewarding work by:
	raising the personal allowance to £9,440 and announcing a further increase to £10,000 from April 2014. The combined effect of all personal allowance increases announced by this Government will be to remove 2.7 million low income individuals, under 65, out of income tax altogether from April 2014;
	developing a new tax-free child care scheme to expand support for affordable child care to 2.5 million families; and
	introducing universal credit to make the benefits of work clearer and simpler, with the aim of offering a smooth transition into work and encouraging progression in work.

Welfare Tax Credits

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals resident in (a) Scotland and (b) England have had tax credit overpayments written off in the last 10 financial years.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold the information in the format requested and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	HMRC does hold information relating to the totality of remissions and write-offs of tax credit overpayments. The latest account figures for remissions and write-offs can be found on page 118 of the HM Revenue and Customs annual report and accounts 2012-13, at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210244/9549-TSO-HMRC_RA_ACCESSIBLE.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits: Woking

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) people, (b) people in work and (c) families in Woking constituency are in receipt of tax credits.

Sajid Javid: In the constituency of Woking there are:
	4,900 families in receipt of tax credits.
	7,200 people within these families.
	3,900 people in work within these families.
	Within this answer, ‘people’ have been defined as ‘adults’. A family can have one or two adults present.
	A person in work is defined as an adult in a family eligible for working tax credit, who works 16 or more hours a week.
	The Government is taking steps to ensure that spending on welfare is sustainable by making sure that work pays, while also supporting those most in need. It is rewarding work by:
	raising the personal allowance to £9,440 and announcing a further increase to £10,000 from April 2014. The combined effect of all personal allowance increases announced by this Government will be to remove 2.7 million low income individuals, under 65, out of income tax altogether from April 2014;
	developing a new tax-free childcare scheme to expand support for affordable childcare to 2.5 million families; and
	introducing universal credit to make the benefits of work clearer and simpler, with the aim of offering a smooth transition into work and encouraging progression in work.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Reserve Forces

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are any plans to use reserve officers as combat pilots in the RAF along the lines of the US National Guard.

Andrew Robathan: There are no current plans to use reserve officers to fly combat aircraft. However, RAF reserves provide pilots and other aircrew for air transport such as the CI30 Hercules and C17 Globemaster aircraft.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy, (c) the RAF and (d) the Royal Marines were medically discharged for reasons relating to alcohol in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Mark Francois: holding answer 5 June 2013
	Defence Statistics release annual updates on medical discharges in the UK armed forces as an Official Statistic publication. In accordance with the code of practice for the release of National/Official Statistics we are unable to provide the data for 2012 prior to the next statistical release, due on 11 July 2013, as set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act, 2007.
	In the Royal Navy, there were no personnel medically discharged with a principal condition relating to alcohol in 2010 or 2011, and none with a contributory condition relating to alcohol in 2010. There were fewer than five with a contributory condition in 2011.
	In the Royal Marines, there were no personnel medically discharged with a principal or contributory condition relating to alcohol in 2010 or 2011.
	In the Army, there were no personnel medically discharged with a contributory condition relating to alcohol in 2011. There were fewer than five with a contributory condition in 2010 and fever than five with a principal condition in both 2010 and 2011.
	In the Royal Air Force, there were no personnel medically discharged with a principal or contributory condition relating to alcohol in 2010 or 2011.
	We have used the term 'fewer than five' rather than giving a specific number in order to protect medical confidentiality.

Armed Forces: Suicide

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his Department’s publication, A study of deaths among UK Armed Forces personnel deployed to the 1982 Falklands Campaign: 1982 to 2012, how many and what proportion of (a) 3 Commando Brigade and (b) 5 Infantry Brigade who served in the Falklands campaign committed suicide in each year since 1982.

Mark Francois: At the cessation of hostilities on the 14 June 1982, there were 25,713 UK service personnel who participated in and survived the Falkland Islands campaign. Of these, tragically, 95 are recorded to have died as a result of suicide or as open verdict deaths between 14 June 1982 and 31 December 2012.
	The breakdown of these deaths in relation to the respective brigades is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Formation 3 Commando Brigade 5 Infantry Brigade 3 Commando Brigade or 5 Infantry Brigade 
			 Number of Suicides/open verdicts(1) 15 7 8 
			 (1) The statistics provided include both coroner-confirmed suicides and open verdict deaths, in line with the definition used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), since research has shown that these deaths share many similarities with suicides except that in the case of open verdict deaths, the intention of the deceased to take their life has not been sufficiently proven to the satisfaction of the coroner. 
		
	
	Due to the small number of suicides within each year, and in line with rounding policy, the information requested on suicides by brigade and year has not been provided. However, the total number of suicide and open verdict deaths of all Falkland Islands campaign veterans between 1982 and 2012, published in the Official Statistic report, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of suicides/open verdict deaths 
			 All 95 
			   
			 1982 0 
			 1983 0 
			 1984 0 
			 1985 0 
			 1986 1 
			 1987 1 
			 1988 2 
			 1989 7 
			 1990 6 
			 1991 2 
			 1992 9 
			 1993 4 
			 1994 3 
			 1995 4 
			 1996 3 
			 1997 2 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 5 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 6 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 3 
			 2008 3 
			 2009 2 
			 2010 1 
			 2011 2 
			 2012 2 
		
	
	For each year between 1982 and 2012, there have been fewer than 10 deaths with a coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict. For each year over the entire period, the risk of dying as a result of suicide for the Falkland veterans was no different to the UK general population.

Armed Forces: Wales

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving members of the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army have asked for voluntary early release, at each base located in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The information is not held in the format requested. However, statistics on the number of Army personnel who have applied for redundancy under Tranche 3 will be available shortly. Information on the armed forces redundancy programme is published by Defence Statistics and is available from their website at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=48&pubType=0&thiscontent=5100&Publish Time=09:30:00&date=2010-08-24&disText=Tranche2& from=listing&topDate=2012-08-24
	The information published is not broken down by location. I will write to the hon. Member with the breakdown by local authority.
	Service personnel who applied for redundancy under Tranches 1 and 2 have already left the Department.
	The selection of an individual for redundancy cannot be assumed to imply that the post they occupy on the date of notification is no longer required and as such the geographical distribution of redundancy notices is not a valid basis for assumptions about the future distribution of military posts.
	Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Madeleine Moon:
	In my answer of 10 July (Official Report, column 266W) I said I would write in response to your parliamentary question 163828 on the number of Armed Forces personnel who volunteered for redundancy from bases in Wales.
	The table shows the number of voluntary redundancy applications under Tranche 3 by Army Service personnel based in Wales, broken down by Local Authority area.
	
		
			 Local Authority Area Number of Personnel Who Volunteered for Redundancy 
			 Blaenau Gwent (1)— 
			 Bridgend (1)— 
			 Caerphilly (1)— 
			 Cardiff (2)— 
			 Carmarthenshire (1)— 
			 Ceredigion (1)— 
			 Conwy (1)— 
			 Denbighshire (1)— 
			 Flintshire (2)— 
			 Gwynedd (1)— 
			 Isle of Anglesey (1)— 
			 Merthyr Tydfil (1)— 
			 Monmouthshire (1)— 
			 Neath Port Talbot (1)— 
			 Newport (1)— 
			 Pembrokeshire 40 
			 Powys 20 
			 Rhondda Cynon, Taff (1)— 
			 Swansea (2)— 
			 The Vale of Glamorgan 10 
			 Torfaen (1)— 
			 Wrexham (1)— 
			 (1) Zero or rounded to zero. (2) Fewer than 5. 
		
	
	Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
	The figures in the above table are for those who applied for redundancy under Tranche 3 and who were based in Wales at 1 June 2013. Personnel could have moved location between applying for Tranche 3 (applications were invited between 22 January and 12 March 2013) and 1 June 2013.
	The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.

Armed Forces: Wimbledon

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether and by whom the military personnel on duty in uniform at the lawn tennis championships at Wimbledon in 2013 were paid for their attendance.

Mark Francois: holding answer 12 July 2013
	Since 1946, personnel from each of our regular armed forces have been invited by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon to work as Service Stewards at their annual All England Lawn Tennis Championships (AELTC). The stewarding of these Championships normally involves some 300 non-commissioned service personnel.
	All service personnel are made aware of this invitation through an annually issued Defence Instruction and Notice. Those who successfully apply to accept the invitation are required to take annual leave to attend the AELTC and are given permission to wear uniform. Service personnel on leave receive their salaries as normal and there are no further costs to the public purse.
	Expenses incurred by the service personnel who are stewards at the Championships, are reimbursed to the individuals directly by the AELTC.

Army: Germany

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the building and renovation timetable for the sites earmarked for use as part of the re-basing requirements for forces returning from Germany; and which lead contractors have been appointed. [R]

Mark Francois: The timetable for forces returning from Germany remains the same as announced in the Army Basing Plan of 5 March 2013. We have commenced the assessment work to progress the Army Basing Programme to the next stage. No lead contractors for build or renovation work have yet been appointed.

Army: Injuries

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers including trainees were (a) treated for and (b) discharged as a result of overuse and stress injuries including Achilles tendinitis, anterior knee pain, mechanical back pain, anterior tibial pain, stress fracture tibia, stress fracture foot, stress fracture pubis and stress fracture neck of femur in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of those soldiers were (i) under the age of 18 at the time of the injury and (ii) female.

Mark Francois: For the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 (the latest dates for which data are available), table 1 presents the number of Army personnel with at least one Read code recorded on the primary care system Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) for the conditions related to overuse and stress injuries.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Army  Male Female 
			 Officers — 1,479 255 
			 Other ranks Under 18 150 15 
			  Over 18 13,389 1,239 
		
	
	For the same period, table 2 presents the number of UK Regular Army personnel medically discharged with a principal condition of a stress related injury or disorder.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Army  Male Female 
			 Officers — 12 ~ 
			 Other Ranks Under 18 18 0 
			  Over 18 477 42 
			 Note: In keeping with the Office for National Statistics guidelines, numbers less than five are represented as ‘~’.

Army: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the guidance for soldiers conducting UK-based training in hot conditions was last reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The code of practice for the prevention and treatment of climactic injuries in the armed forces for land based activities, including training, exercises and operations, is contained in the Joint Service Publication (JSP) 539.
	The heat injury/illness sections of the JSP are kept under regular review by the Heat Injuries Working Group: this working group has representatives from all three services as well as subject matter experts.
	The JSP was revised fully in 2012 and published in November 2012.

Business Services Association

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have met representatives of the Business Services Association. [Official Report, 2 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 1MC.]

Andrew Murrison: We have no records of any meetings between the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), or Ministers and representatives of the Business Services Association.
	We are not aware of any officials meeting with representatives of the Business Services Association but a definitive answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Estates

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to Spending Round 2013, Cm 8639, how reducing costs of construction in the Defence estate will be implemented; and what estimate he has made of how much was saved through this measure.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence’s Spending Round 2013 settlement included a commitment to reduce our spending on our estate capital investment programme by £125 million in financial year (FY) 2015-16 through benchmarking our plans against industry best practice and then setting the targets within contracts wherever possible. These savings apply from FY 2015-16 and we will work with our suppliers in the intervening period to establish the precise details of their implementation.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total cost of the redundancy programme at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Mark Francois: holding answer 24 June 2013
	The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has not run a separate redundancy programme in 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013.
	The DIO is part of a departmental wide voluntary early release scheme which has run since 2011, and considers release of people against the departmental need.

Defence Vetting Agency: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the merger of vetting functions of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the Defence Vetting Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: An independent study is taking place into the future provision of national security vetting. This includes the two main providers of vetting: Defence Business Services and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services. An announcement will be made once a decision is taken on the study's recommendations.

Domestic Visits

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits Ministers in his Department have made to (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in an official capacity in each year since 2010.

Mark Francois: For visits to Scotland and Wales from May 2010 to 30 June 2012, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), gave on 3 September 2012, Official Report, columns 56-59W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy).
	The number of visits made in an official capacity by Ministers between 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 to Scotland was 10 and to Wales was two.
	For visits to Northern Ireland, Ministers visited once in 2010, once in 2011, three times in 2012 and twice in 2013 to date.

Domestic Visits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times he has visited (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales in an official capacity since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) visited Scotland twice but has not visited Wales or Northern Ireland.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes any theft, loss, attacks, or misuse of its information, networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to mitigate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore, new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department.
	The MOD does not generally record items as ‘lost’. Any incident where an information asset has not been handled and recorded correctly in accordance with our strict guidelines is recorded as the asset being ‘unaccounted for’. In a high proportion of cases where information and communications technology (ICT) is reported as missing it is likely it has been officially disposed of without the correct record being maintained.
	352 of the assets recorded as ‘unaccounted for’ in financial year (FY) 2012-13 are a result of a legacy accounting issue with the accuracy of recording assets belonging to a network which was in use from approximately 1990 to 2005 and contained around 88,000 assets. The discrepancy was noted as a result of responses to the Burton report in 2008 but ongoing action to locate the assets resulted in it not being centrally recorded at this time. It was formally reported to the Joint Security Co-ordination Centre (JSyCC) as part of negotiations for a contract transfer in 2012. For this reason it appears in FY 2012-13, although the incident itself will have taken place over eight years ago. Investigations suggest it is very likely that none of these assets has left MOD establishments and that they have therefore not been ‘lost’. However, they are recorded as ‘unaccounted for’ as this cannot be conclusively proven at this time.
	It is MOD policy that all portable computers and removable media should be encrypted. Therefore, even when a device cannot be accounted for (or is stolen) the MOD can be confident that the risk of information being compromised is low.
	The following table details the number of reported unaccounted for or stolen computers, mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and other pieces of ICT equipment centrally reported within the Department in FY 2010-11, FY 2011-12 and FY 2012-13:
	
		
			 Number of items unaccounted for or stolen 
			 ICT type 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 
			 Computers 371 206 (1)469 
			 Mobile telephones 3 24 1 
			 BlackBerrys 4 34 11 
			 Other ICT 225 365 225 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) 352 of these are a result of a single legacy incident.

Katrice Lee

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of when the latest Ministry of Defence Police investigation into the disappearance of Katrice Lee will be concluded; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Royal Military Police investigation into the disappearance of Katrice Lee is ongoing. The investigation is extensive and complex and because of its nature it is difficult to estimate when it will conclude. A significant number of active lines of inquiry are currently being pursued. It would be inappropriate to comment on these in any detail but I can confirm that, for example, the military police are speaking to new potential witnesses who have come forward following a recent television appeal on the German equivalent of the BBC's Crimewatch programme. In doing so, they are working closely with police forces in other countries.
	The Royal Military Police are committed to ensuring that the investigation is brought to a conclusion as soon as possible. However, their priority is to ensure that the investigation is thorough and that all potential lines of inquiry have been explored. They also remain committed to inviting a civilian police force to review their investigation in order to ensure that no investigative opportunities have been missed.
	Katrice's family are being kept fully informed of progress and they will continue to be updated as the investigation develops.

Mercian Regiment

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the presentation of new colours to the four battalions of the Mercian Regiment was.

Mark Francois: The Presentation of New Colours to the Mercian Regiment was funded in part through charitable sources.
	The cost to the Department of the presentation ceremony was in the order of £38,000 which largely related to transporting personnel from the four battalions and moving two Warrior vehicles to support recruiting activity around the presentation event. This figure does not include the cost of the Colours themselves.
	The role of the Colours has great historical significance in their use as a rallying point. British military history is full of instances of gallantry including the Colours and their defence. Today, Colours are the ceremonial evidence of a regiment and its spirit, a moral rallying point recording their often illustrious history.

Military Bases: Poole

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the future of the Royal Marine Commando Base in Poole; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to close the Royal Marine Base in Poole.

Military Decorations: World War II

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those who are eligible have applied for the Bomber Command clasp to date; how many of those applications have been (a) rejected and (b) accepted; and what estimate he has made of the number of members of Bomber Command who are ineligible for the clasp.

Mark Francois: We are collating the statistics which my hon. Friend has requested and I shall reply to him shortly.

Navy: Greenock

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status of the Royal Naval buildings in Greenock is; and what future plans he has for these buildings.

Mark Francois: In accordance with the Department's normal disposal procedure the site is being offered for sale on the open market. A closing date for offers of 28 June 2013 has now passed with a preferred bidder identified.

Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) accesses a pan-Government framework contract for the purchase of print and electronic journals on subscription. The contract is primarily used to purchase academic, technical, medical and trade publications for the MOD colleges, training centres, technical information centres and medical units, including those in operational theatres. A small number of recreational titles are taken for use in personnel recovery centres. Expenditure under this contract is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2008-09 871,075 
			 2009-10 864,923 
			 2010-11 696,631 
			 2011-12 668,583 
			 2012-13 334,772 
		
	
	Figures for each individual year have been compiled using the same methodology which in some cases may differ to that given in answers to previous parliamentary questions on this subject.
	Unit newspaper requirements tend to be fluid and subject to short-notice amendment. They are not therefore suitable for fixed-term subscription. MOD units may make their own supply arrangements with local distributors. Information on such arrangements is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Redundancy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many officials in his Department resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and how much this has cost his Department;
	(2)  how many of his employees resident in Scotland have been made redundant through compulsory redundancy schemes since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse of such schemes has been.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not run a compulsory redundancy scheme for civilian personnel since May 2010.

Reserve Forces

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time volunteer mobilised reservists were subject to a deduction of earnings request from the Department for Work and Pensions in financial years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Mark Francois: The number of volunteer mobilised reservists that were subject to a deduction of earnings request in each of the financial years (FY) 2010-11, 2011 -12 and 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 FY Number of reservists subject to a deduction of earnings 
			 2010-11 10 
			 2011-12 5 
			 2012-13 10 
		
	
	Figures have been rounded to protect the confidentiality of individuals in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Code of Practice for Official Statistics 2009.

Reserve Forces: Mental Health Services

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to improve mental health services for current and former Reserve forces personnel.

Mark Francois: holding answer 8 July 2013
	The mental health of our personnel and veterans is a top priority for the Government that is why we have committed £7.4 million to ensure there is extensive mental health support in place for those who need it.
	Support is out there for service personnel and veterans who are suffering mental health problems. This includes tailored NHS mental health services, priority treatment for veterans with a service related health problem, the Big White Wall online mental well-being service which is available to those serving, their families and veterans on a 24-hour basis and a 24-hour helpline with Combat Stress, so service personnel and veterans can seek help at any time.
	Deployed reservists have the same access to mental health services as regulars—including the mental health team deployed on operations in Afghanistan, consisting of three mental health nurses and a visiting consultant psychiatrist. If reservists return to the UK with mental health problems they are not demobilised but would access treatment through the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) in the UK.
	If a reservist develops a mental health problem after demobilisation they are entitled to high-quality mental healthcare from the NHS. In addition reservists deployed overseas since 2003 are able to attend the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme in Chilwell. This provides mental health assessments, and, if diagnosed to have a combat-related mental health condition, out-patient treatment for reservists via one of the DCMHs.
	In the recently published White Paper on Reserve Forces we proposed the extension of occupational health provision to ensure consistent access to these services for all reservists. This will provide a mechanism to identify a range of issues, including mental health problems, and assess the implications in the context of service in the reserves.
	As part of the Government's ongoing commitment to ex-service personnel with mental health problems, £2.5 million from the LIBOR fines has been awarded to programmes which will support mental health programmes for veterans in the future.
	In addition, the right policies and intervention strategies must be underpinned by good quality evidence. To this end, the MOD funds a considerable amount of research into mental health issues, for example, the broad range of studies undertaken by the King's Centre for Military Health Research, including those covering reservists.

Senior Civil Servants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many senior civil servants left his Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was.

Mark Francois: The number of senior civil servants (SCS) who left the Ministry of Defence and associated public bodies under the Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS) in each of the last three financial years (FY), including the total value of the severance payments, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 FY SCS departures Cost (£) 
			 2012-13 25 2,576,709 
			 2011-12 47 5,543,549 
			 2010-11 3 412,412 
		
	
	These figures represent all non-compulsory departures of SCS under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme since its reform in 2010. The current scheme is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departure. All costs fall in the year of departure, whereas under the terms of the previous, pre-reform, scheme there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure.

Territorial Army: Scotland

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which sites are used by the Territorial Army (TA) in Scotland; and how many TA personnel are based at each such site.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 8 July 2013
	I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance UK personnel provide to the US operation of drones from the Combined Air Operation Centre at Al-Udeid. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The UK has around 40 personnel stationed in the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Al-Udeid which provides command and control in support of operations in the Gulf and Afghanistan. This includes a wide variety of tasks and platforms eg strategic airlift to and from Afghanistan. UK personnel may support a wide range of combined operations provided these are consistent with national directives.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gillingham and Rainham of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 221W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, on how many occasions flights of unmanned aerial vehicles have taken place in each of his Department's reserved airspace areas within the UK in each of the last 10 years; what the purpose of each such flight was; and what type of unmanned aerial vehicle was flown on each such occasion. [R]

Andrew Robathan: Available information on the number and location of flights of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), either on the military register or operating under a military flight test permit, in each of the last 10 years, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  UAV type Number of flights Location Purpose 
			 2003-06 Phoenix (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 2004 Buster (2)— Larkhill Trials 
			 2006 Scan Eagle 22 Hebrides Range Capability Demonstration 
			 2009 Desert Hawk III 126 Salisbury Plain Trials and Training 
			 2010 Desert Hawk III 184 Salisbury Plain, Stanford, Otterburn Training and conversion to Role 
			  Watchkeeper 11 West Wales Airport Trials 
			 2011 Desert Hawk III 564 Salisbury Plain, Stanford, Otterburn Training 
			  Watchkeeper 83 West Wales Airport Trials and Training 
			  Tarantula-Hawk 3 Thorney Island Training 
			 2012 Desert Hawk III 1,180 Salisbury Plain Training 
			  Watchkeeper 129 West Wales Airport Trials and Training 
			  Tarantula-Hawk 11 Thorney Island Training 
			  Scan Eagle 5 South Coast Exercise Area Trials 
			 2013 Desert Hawk III 555 Salisbury Plain, Stanford, Otterburn Training 
			  Watchkeeper 6 West Wales Airport French Army Training 
			  Watchkeeper 77 West Wales Airport Trials and Training 
			  Black Hornet (3)n/a Lydd Camp, Lossiemouth, Salisbury Plain(4) Training 
			 (1) The Phoenix Unmanned Air System, which retired from service in 2006, was flown in UK airspace. Records of the number, location and purpose of Phoenix sorties are no longer centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (2) Records of the number of Buster sorties are no longer centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (3) Because of the way Black Hornet is used the number of sorties and flying hours are not recorded. (4) The locations identified are the primary areas in which Black Hornet has been operated. Because of the weight and size of the air vehicle and the height at which it operates, under Military Aviation Authority regulations there is no requirement to limit flights to segregated airspace.

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not normally provide services separately to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales. However, in line with Military Assistance to the Civil Authority (MACA) principles, Defence can provide assistance to other Government Departments or devolved Administrations to help to deal with situations that are beyond the capability or capacity of the civil authorities, e.g. in the event of severe flooding.

Welsh Language

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a current Welsh Language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence's Welsh Language Scheme was first introduced in 1999 and last reviewed in 2009.